Gisele Bundchen is the world's richest model and is set to become a billionaire.
She got her start at a modeling agency, became a Victoria's Secret Angel, and has raked in the gigs ever since.
But famed photographer Mario Testino claims that Gisele was initially shunned by the industry.
Testino's persistence in photographing Gisele is widely credited with elevating her to supermodel status. He's also photographed everyone from Princess Diana to Anna Wintour.
Gisele was unpopular at first, he says.
"Nobody liked her, nobody wanted her," Testino told UK's The Guardian. "I had to fight to get her into my stories because nobody thought she was right – too this, too that, the nose, the breasts, the waist. But I believe in being obsessed, in getting obsessed."
Testino's story about Gisele, who went on to top the list of supermodels, shows just how fickle the fashion industry can be.
Kate Upton is the latest model grappling with the snobs of the high fashion world. While she's ridiculously successful commercially, covering Sports Illustrated, Upton isn't booking many runway shows.
But if Gisele is any indication, all that Upton needs is someone well-connected and persistent.
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