“I felt like my pregnancy was a sacred moment for me. I stayed in Boston and I didn’t work apart from the contracts I have, and then I only let them use my face…..”
Gisele Bundchen — the world’s No. 1-ranked supermodel — graces the cover of Vogue’s April Shape Issue (shot by Patrick Demarchelier) as she talks mothering her son Benjamin, modeling, and mentoring with The Fashion Bible.
Gisele On Naming Her Son With Husband Tom Brady: “I wanted him to be called River because I wanted something always flowing, immortal,” says the Brazilian, who has been inside her Boston home hiding from frigid temperatures outdoors since giving birth in December. “My husband [NFL star Tom Brady] said, ‘There’s no way we’re going to call him River.’ But my father’s name is Reinoldo, so it’s a homage to him. And it’s like water.”
How Gisele Stayed In Shape While Pregnant: “I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week. I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can turn into garbage disposals. I was mindful about what I ate, and I gained only 30 pounds…”
Gisele Reveals The Challenges Of Mentoring Young Women of Color In Urban Boston: “I thought I was going to be able to save them, guide them. When I got there they were like, ‘Who are you?’ There were a lot of Latina and black girls,” she explained. “In Brazil, everyone is a mixture, and no one thinks about it. In America, maybe you have more problems with that. It took me a week or two just to get them to sit down with me and talk. I had my yoga teacher come up from New York to teach them yoga. I wanted to share something, but I ended up realizing that you cannot save anybody. I forced it, and it didn’t quite go through.”