Gisele Bundchen covers the new issue of ELLE Canada. The shoot is kind of blah – not really bad, but not really interesting. The best part, in my opinion, is that you can see Gisele’s freckles in some of the shots. Her freckles are amazing. Anyway, the interview is pretty typical Gisele – she talks about Brazil, how she exercises, the food she eats and motherhood. There were a few small surprises, like when she actually came close to admitting that she (GASP) struggles a little bit with work/family balance. Like a peasant! I cannot believe Gisele does not have all the answers to work/family balance!
Sports: “I’ve been athletic since I was little. I was the captain of my volleyball team. I used to jog—even almost naked in winter. I’m Sporty Spice! The body is a temple. I enjoy moving. I don’t play much volleyball anymore, but I ride horses, surf and play beach tennis. I play wherever I am. Kung fu, boxing, yoga, Pilates…It makes me feel alive. If I don’t move my body, I don’t feel good.”
The World Cup, Brazil: “I’m very proud that I was born in Brazil. I love the spirit of the Brazilian people. There’s something magical about it. There’s a viva—there is joy. There is warmth—a sense of welcome.”
America doesn’t like Brazilian huggers: “When I first came to America, I was hugging and kissing everyone and people were shocked. Soccer supporters will come from different parts of the world, and they will experience that side of Brazilian life—all that beauty and energy.”
Will she attend the World Cup? “Well, I would like to score a goal myself.”
Food: She admits that she likes to know ‘where my food comes from’ and rarely eats meat as a result, adding that she is passing on her awareness to her children by planting ‘a lot of vegetables and fruit together.’
Family/career balance: “It’s a constant balance. Sometimes when I go to bed, I’m happy that I did a good job that day. And sometimes, I wish I’d done things differently. Now, it’s getting harder for me to travel for my job. I have a son whom I take to school, and I come back quickly to see my baby. I never feel 100-percent complete. I just want to stay at home now. Luckily, I’m able to choose more because I have been doing this job for 20 years.”
I never thought I’d see the day when Gisele would utter the words, “I never feel 100-percent complete.” This feels like a brand-new Gisele. Usually she glosses over her problems and just tries to make her life sound perfect. And, to her credit, Gisele rarely plays the victim. She’s not a whiner and she never asks for our sympathy. Imagine if Gwyneth Paltrow was trying to pontificate about family/career balance. Well, you don’t have to imagine – Gwyneth did recently talk about that balance and she came across like an out-of-touch, elitist a—hole. Gisele on the other hand reminds herself (and us) that she’s “lucky” to have more choices because she’s been in the industry for so long.
Photos courtesy of ELLE Canada.
I wouldn’t work if I had her money. I’d just keep fit and hang out with my family.
What if, when you went to work, people called you the most beautiful person on the planet, that you had the most perfect body and face, and you were treated like a queen and fawned over… and made zillions of dollars at the same time, all while being professionally and personally validated as a ‘working mom’. I might want to keep doing that…
If she doesn’t feel validated already I don’t know if she ever will. But I see your point.
I also think that when you’ve been working as long as Gisele has, it might not be easy to quit working completely, as much as she says she wants to be home full time.
I’m no Gisele, but I stayed home full time after my second son was born and within two years I really missed the work that I had done. I hadn’t realized how much it was tied to my identity and self-esteem. I was lucky that I could go back on a part time/freelance basis so I could put my kids first but still have something of “my own” to focus on once in a while. Plus the extra income is always great.
In any case, I think she’s totally right about the balance being really hard. When I was working full time, I fretted that I wasn’t with my kids. And when I was with my kids, I worried that I was neglecting my job. I felt like I was doing them both half assed.
@Esmom – exactly! If one is lucky enough have a career in something they love, most likely they’d want to go back to some extent.
Also, I heard a quote from Ja Rule the other day that put it best, “when you want to be the best at something, you have to be selfish to be successful. Unfortunately that caused issues at home.” Rappers and their insightful words. You can’t give 100% to both career and family. That goes for men and women. I just wish this pressure wasn’t mostly felt by women; or, that this question isn’t only asked of women (for the most part).
just gorgeous.
I get why she works, but if she truly wanted to stay home she could but I have the feeling she wouldn’t feel 100% complete if she didn’t work. That’s not a bad thing, just think she has a standard that can’t be met. No one ever feels 100% complete.
Yup. The mom in me wants to stay home, the rest of me wants to keep building a career. You can never make yourself totally happy.
Agree. I stay at home now and I love it, but I miss some things about working. I have time to do all the things I always wanted to do, but I spend too much time alone. I get a lot accomplished, but I miss the validation because no one else knows it. I know how lucky I am, especially since my career was just never very important to me and this is what I really I wanted, but nothing is perfect.
I used you to expect myself to be present as a parent while comparing myself to co-workers who worked full time and were also studying at university. I’d then go to the gym and compare myself to the gym junkies who were there six days a week and then beat myself up for not meditating and doing something creative as well. It was nuts. Suffice to say I don’t do that anymore.
Lol, Chris, I hear you. I yam what I yam, as Popeye would say.
Just yesterday I read an article in a woman-career focused blog that talked about the harsh reality of having children and a career. It talked about how women really need to choose a job and career we love because once you have children, you will be completely distracted by your job and will no longer give it your 100% …. unless, that is, you really truly and love it.
I don’t have children and the choice to have them is becoming harder and harder as I grow up. Hearing this now makes me realise that all the money, all the success and all the accomplishments can leave all women, from millionaire supermodels to entry-level secretaries, in the same position. It’s a scary thought sometimes.. I don’t really care about Gisele one way or another but I’m glad to hear that it isn’t just a ‘peasant-y’ struggle.
We live in such a workaholic culture. I think if North America looked at Europe a little, and was a little more… kind to workers (as in, longer paid holidays, slightly better working hours), it wouldn’t be as bad. But it’s a hard thing in these economic times…
No, it’s not as hard for her as the rest of us out there in the real world but I still do realize she has some of the same feelings.
The worst for me was the first day of going back to work when I took the little one to the babysitter and then went to work. I felt sick inside leaving him. Sure, it was great to have the extra money and it really helped the family but I paid a price. Ultimately, it was harder on me than on the kids because they adapted and I still had to do these two jobs of home and work. I was a lot younger then but I felt older than I do now because I was so tired and run down all the time.
She’s so full of crap. If she really wanted to stay at home, she’s stop signing contracts with every cosmetic/hair care company that comes along. It’s not like she and her stupid husband (I hate the Patriots) need the money. This trick thinks she’s fancy, but she shills for Pantene.
She’s talking about balance not one or the other. As for Pantene- Oral B too! Also, Chanel, Pucci, Caroline Herrera, Balenciaga…. The list goes on and on and on. So kinda fancy really.
Gwyneth Paltrow comes from a wealthy family her father was in the business, she hadn’t to work that much to achieve something.
I don’t know that much about Gisele family, but I think she has worked a lot to become a supermodel, more than Gwyneth has ever done.
I like her.
SO STAY HOME THEN!!!!!!!!!! AND WHY IS THIS NEWS???
Did you read a word of what she said? It’s not that easy. She’s got contracts and obligations and she’s built a career, a really fantastic one, for over 20 years. I know when it comes time for me to leave work and start a family, I am going to have a hard time of it. A woman can love her work as much as a man can, and she can also love her children. It’s not black and white to just up and quit everything you’ve worked for.
She is a stunning woman and she seems to be a great business woman and mother. But I see her point. I’d like to have been a stay at home mother as well but never had the money to do so. She does and she should!
I laughed at the hugging comments. I did an exchange program in Brazil, and was like “Why the hell is everyone touching me all the time?!” Even my professors, male and female, would touch my arm or shoulder when talking to me. Once you get used to it, it is nice, but definitely a different definition of personal space.
Yes, though I grew up irish american in the NE and we actually hugged and kissed everyone and were very touchy-feely with-family friends, etc. all the time. We had ‘aunts and uncles’ who were not blood related, welcoming to ppl whether related or not, inviting people to live with us if they needed help, etc. I’ve really toned it down over the years b/c most americans are not of that ilk. I kind of miss it b/c it’s fun to be warm and friendly/fuzzy and generous of spirit as far as how one expresses oneself. Maybe i’ll go to brasil. (: It’s sort of shocking to realize that others are not like that, so I get what she is saying and I”m sure it’s much more extreme in brasil where all are doing that. My spouse’s family, while very large, is very much ‘the family’-even in the spouses of siblings are not really treated or considered as family, only the kids of the siblings. It’s really weird and obviously the other extreme. Took awhile to realize that was happening…
Love that swimsuit, love the black dress
Someone’s PR rep spoke to them about she came across in interviews in regards to motherhood. Don’t buy what she is selling for one minute.
You really can’t believe that women, no matter what their career is or how much money they make, struggle to find a balance between motherhood and their careers? Really?
I guess I was lucky to have a career that caused me to work long hours and stressed me out on a daily basis. It made the decision to be a SAHM so much easier when we had our first. I think most people pick the jobs they do because it fits the type of person that they are, so people in high stress jobs probably just become high stress parents!
Sometimes you trade the crazy of work for the crazy of parentdom. There are playgroups, dance lessons, art classes, preschool, etc…..I have friends who are running around with their little darlings to all sorts of activities and they seem just as stressed as they were when they worked. I was the same, until I decided that my little kiddo did NOT need to know long division and learn three languages before they started kindergarten, and I did not need to have some super creative snack for the kids and parents every time I hosted a playgroup.
Good for her.
I myself can’t find balance. When I’m working, I don’t remember my kids, seriously, not even calling their sitters. On weekend, I don’t even look at my cellphone, email, etc. I completely ignore working.
Nothing she could ever say would make me like her, nothing.
Wow, I am so glad that so glad that most women here have a career. I only have a job, and. I do it to pay the bills.
Some of the models out there seem to luck into it, like a lot of the Victoria’s Secret girls (Erin Heatherton comes to mind), as well as some of the high fashion runway ones… but Gisele was meant to be a supermodel. I’m mostly indifferent to her but am coming to like her more. She is gorgeous. I love her eyes and her skin. She’s going to look better as she grows older.
Omg, I would be on permanent vacation if I had her money.
Why would anyone want to feel “100 % complete” most of the time?
What does that even mean?
It’s an odd ideal to pursue – an unhealthy one. (Not that I am implying that this is, in fact, her goal.)
Accepting that there will always be some “gaps” demanding fulfillment seems much healthier (not to mention realistic) to me personally.