Adriana Lima is a Brazilian supermodel who is best known for her work as a Victoria’s Secret Angel and as a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics. The 5 feet 10 inches tall beauty has also dabbled into acting and show hosting, but without a doubt, most of her success has come from walking the runways and appearing on magazine covers and spreads. As a result of this, Lima has been able to rake in so much money. She has been ranked among the highest-paid models in the world since 2012 when Forbes estimated that she earned $7.3 million.
Beginning of Adriana Lima’s Modeling Career
Adriana Lima was born on the 12th of June 1981 to a carpenter named Nelson Torres and a social worker named Maria das Graças Lima. She was raised in the Castelo Branco neighborhood of Salvador by only her mother as her father left them when she was just six months old.
Lima had plans of pursuing a career as a pediatrician and never considered becoming a model even though she had emerged winner of many beauty pageants while in elementary school. She was, however, persuaded by a friend who did not want to enter a modeling competition alone. The two went on to send their pictures in and the then-13-year-old Adriana was invited to participate in the competition.
Not long after, precisely at the age of 15, Adriana Lima took part in Ford’s “Supermodel of Brazil” model search and emerged first place. She subsequently entered the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest where she managed a second-place position.
Moving Up To The International Stage
In 1999, Adriana Lima decided to move to New York City where she signed with Elite Model Management to further pursue her growing career. Her first job in the United States was a campaign for the clothing line of fashion designer Anna Molinari. In no time, the modeling agency she was signed to helped expand her modeling portfolio such that she began appearing in numerous international editions of magazines like Marie Claire and Vogue.
Her first magazine cover was in the September 1998 edition of Marie Claire Brazil while her first appearance on the cover of Vogue was on Vogue Gioiello on their 20th Anniversary issue in September 2000. Following her appearance on these major magazine covers, Adriana Lima started to work for many notable fashion brands and was an increasing favorite for many editorials and covers of fashion magazines.
From a Budding Model To a Victoria’s Secret Angel
Despite Adriana Lima’s numerous appearances on the runway and magazine covers over the years, she is still most known for her work with Victoria Secret. The Brazilian is the longest-running Victoria Secret model after having walked her first Victoria’s Secret runway in 1999 at the age of 18.
After working with the lingerie brand for one year, Lima was contracted to be an Angel in 2000 and since then she has appeared on their subsequent shows. In 2003, she featured on the “Angel in Venice” television commercial for the brand with Bob Dylan and subsequently appeared in many other TV ads for the lingerie company.
Taking Up Bigger Responsibilities As An Angel
In 2008, Adriana Lima’s solo Victoria’s Secret Super Bowl XLII ad was watched by 103.7 million viewers making it the most-seen ad of the game. In the same year, her career as a Victoria’s Secret Angel was taken to the next level when she wore the Fantasy Bra worth $2 million for the first time. She wore the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Fantasy Bra a second time in 2010.
In 2012, Adriana opened Victoria’s Secret fashion show barely two months after she welcomed her second child. This made it her fifth time opening the show as she had done so four times before in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2010. Two years down the line, she was again selected alongside her good friend and fellow Brazillian model, Alessandra Ambrosio, to wear the Fantasy Bra at the 2014 annual fashion show on December 9th.
Following Victoria’s Secret launch of her sports bra line, Victoria Sport, in 2016, Adriana Lima was selected to star in the commercial with four other models. In January 2017, she was named the most valuable Victoria Secret Angel based on the result of a research carried out by the analytics company known as D’Marie.
Her Retirement as a Victoria’s Secret Model
After being with Victoria’s Secret for 18 years, Adriana Lima hinted at a possibility of her bidding farewell to the giant lingerie brand in December 2017. She explained that the constant pressure of living up to the stereotypical feminine image of beauty that is further strengthened by social media and the fashion world were among the factors that are prompting her to quit.
Following through with the thoughts she expressed on her Instagram post, the supermodel announced her departure via the social media platform on the 8th of November 2018 while she was preparing for her final show. She broke the news with a video highlighting her best catwalk moments with the company as seen above.
Adriana Lima subsequently hung up her wings as a Victoria’s Secret Angel at the age of 37 as she walked in her 18th and final fashion show in November 2018. In the true Lima way, the supermodel, who other Victoria’s Secret models consider as The Guardian Angel, walked her last catwalk with a bang, closing that year’s fashion show dressed in winged apparel.
Speaking to People before the big event, Lima revealed that she would be channeling her time and energy to supporting women and being connected to various projects which support women the world over.