This former supermodel has sparked many scandalous headlines and even incurred
the wrath of mommy bloggers. Here are some shady things you may not know about Gisele Bundchen .
Bundchen was on cloud nine after meeting and falling for football's golden boy in 2006. But
reality hit hard when Brady's ex-girlfriend, actor Bridget Moynahan , revealed that she
was pregnant with the quarterback's child, who was conceived right before the pair broke up.
"I felt like I didn't know what to do. It was kind of
one of those moments of like, do I just run away?"
Vanity Fair reported in 2009 that Bundchen pondered whether "she should
encourage Brady to reunite" with Moynahan, however, she told the outlet she decided,
"When people break up, it's for a reason."
Bundchen's seemingly callous quote came one year after Moynahan told Harper's Bazaar
that she was "heartbroken" after her split with Brady. The supermodel then discussed
Brady and Moynahan's baby, Jack, saying that while she "respect[s]" his biological mom,
she "love[s] him the same way as if he were [hers]." She added,
"I already feel like he's my son, from the first day."
Vanity Fair also noted that despite a shared custody arrangement,
Bundchen and Moynahan hadn't met one another yet.
While Bundchen likely thought her comments were simply those of a supportive stepmom,
criticism came swiftly as many people believed she crossed a line. Public
sympathy lay with single mom Moynahan, and Bundchen's intimate interview gave
off a "rubbing salt in the wound" vibe. Moynahan stayed silent, but anonymous insiders confirmed
to media outlets that the star was not pleased. Moynahan's friend told Page
Six that Bundchen was being "disrespectful" and using Jack for attention and publicity.
For many women, complications during pregnancy and childbirth can make the experience painful
and stressful — but not for Bundchen. In 2010, the former Victoria's Secret model told Vogue,
"I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can
turn into garbage disposals. I was mindful about what I ate."
That didn't go over too well. Mommyish called the commentary "rude," "inappropriate," and "hurtful."
Bundchen's other quotes about her journey to motherhood may not be as shady,
but they oozed a kind of smug superiority that felt off-putting to many non-celebrity moms.
The model told the Boston Globe that she refused to use any type of artificial pain
management and instead relied on yoga and meditation. Bundchen told the Brazilian TV
show Fantastico that the experience, quote, "wasn't painful, not even a little bit."
Not only did childbirth not hurt for the genetically gifted bombshell,
but she revealed on the show that her recovery was lightning quick. She said,
"The second day, I was walking, I was washing dishes, I was making pancakes in the kitchen."
While not ill-intentioned, Bundchen's comments about pregnancy and giving birth
launched thousands of eye rolls. One writer wrote for Social Moms,
"She almost seems to be on a mission to show the world
how unrealistically perfect she is at everything."
After the blowback from her harsh garbage disposal comparison,
one might assume Bundchen would be more careful with her parenting advice. But Speaking with
Harper's Bazaar, she dove headfirst into a contentious online discourse, saying,
"Some people here think they don't have to breastfeed, and I think, 'Are you going to
give chemical food to your child, when they are so little?' [...] There should be a worldwide law,
in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months."
Mothers, fathers, and doctors wrote articles and comments
aimed at educating Bundchen as to why her statement was both ignorant and
insensitive. But perhaps one mom summed it up best in an open letter to the model, asking,
"Did you ever stop to think that not all people might be as fortunate as you,
Gisele? There are a whole myriad of reasons why women might not breastfeed,
many of them completely out of their control."
The breastfeeding-as-law comment caused such
an uproar that Bundchen quickly backtracked on her blog, writing,
"It's unfortunate that in an interview sometimes things can seem so black and white. [...] I
understand that everyone has their own experience and opinions and I am not here to judge."
But the damage was done, and Bundchen's newest
controversial comment only solidified her elitist image.
Yes, Tom Brady does lose. In 2012, the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super
Bowl 46. After the game, Bundchen attempted to smile her way through a crowd as she left,
but unfortunately, some Giants fans taunted the model about her husband's loss. According
to The Insider, the heckling eventually got to Bundchen and she snapped, saying,
"You need to catch the ball when you're supposed to catch the ball.
My husband cannot f---ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.
I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."
While Bundchen had every right to defend her husband,
critics accused her of throwing Brady's teammates under the bus. Sources even told TMZ that
some fellow Patriots felt "disappointed" and "betrayed" by the model's comments.
Six years later, after the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52,
USA Today reported that Bundchen comforted her crying children by saying,
"They haven't won in a million years. [...] Daddy
won five times. [...] You have to let someone else win sometimes.”
Once again, Bundchen found herself on the defensive for her choice of words,
as critics chastised her for telling her children that the Patriots
"let' the Eagles win. She tweeted in response,
"Just to be clear. No one 'let' anyone win. People win because of their own merit.
Tired of people twisting my words to create drama that doesn't exist!"
In 2013, Bundchen posted a picture on Instagram of herself wearing a white robe and breastfeeding
her daughter while getting her nails, hair, and makeup done. Bundchen captioned the photo,
"What would I do without this beauty squad after the 15 hours flying and only 3 hours of sleep."
USA Today reported that some fans praised Bundchen for "normalizing breastfeeding" and
serving as "a great example of a working girl and mother." Others saw the photo
as another instance of Bundchen flaunting a luxurious and privileged lifestyle that
most can only dream about. Non-rich-and-famous moms also side-eyed her use of a "multitasking"
hashtag — which has since been removed from the caption — and posted responses including,
"My multitasking usually includes dressing myself and two kids, making two breakfasts and lunches,
cleaning up dropped clothes and dishes, brushing out hair. [...] Can we trade !?!"
The picture also generated plenty of parodies, even from other celebrities.
Shameless actress Emmy Rossum poked fun at Bundchen's post by recreating the pic,
except she used a baby doll for the since-deleted fake breastfeeding/glam session.
Bundchen and her sister visited a plastic surgery clinic in Paris in 2015. While that
event alone may have garnered a few headlines, it was Bundchen's disguise
that got everyone talking. Page Six published pictures of the model wearing a long, black,
face-covering burqa and open-toed sandals. Photographers were able to identify the
mystery woman as Bundchen after she exited the car of her personal "longtime chauffeur."
"I just don't think it's very respectful for people to
follow people and I don't understand how that's right."
Some French citizens and Muslims were incredibly offended by Bundchen's
poorly thought-out disguise. One person claimed on the site Public,
"In the street it is illegal to wear the burqa! It therefore violated French law."
A member of the Islamic community told Page Six that Bunchen's stunt
was "disrespectful to Islam" and added,
"This is a religious garment. It's not so you can
hide when you're going for a doctor's appointment."
The burqa stunt was undoubtedly a shady move for religious and cultural reasons. And yet,
Bundchen's elaborate plan to maintain secrecy in order to obtain plastic
surgery also annoyed the public for a different reason. Vanity Fair pondered
why the story made such huge headlines and mused,
"There could be an angle to this that's expressing frustration
with an internationally recognized symbol of beauty who is dishonest
about how she maintains that beauty — because it sets an impossible standard for others."
Bundchen eventually admitted to going under the knife in her 2018 memoir,
but conveniently left out the burqa scandal.
The NFL has cracked down on players returning to the field too quickly after sustaining concussions
and maintains a strict concussion protocol in an attempt to avoid catastrophic health consequences.
So the public was surprised and confused when Bundchen announced to CBS News in 2017,
"[Tom] has concussions pretty much every — I mean, we don't talk about it."
"I don't really think it's a healthy thing for your body, to go through
that kind of aggression all the time, that can not be healthy for you."
Brady wouldn't initially confirm his wife's comment,
and the NFL released its own statement, which read, in part,
"There are no records that indicate that Mr. Brady suffered a head injury or concussion,
or exhibited or complained of concussion symptoms."
Fans and members of the media assumed that perhaps Brady and the Patriots didn't follow protocol
so that he could continue to play, thereby violating NFL rules in addition to risking
Brady's well-being. That in itself would have been shady, but after a little bit of digging,
it appears that Bundchen's seemingly innocent concussion slip may have had ulterior motives.
In 2013 Brady founded the first TB12 Center, and TB12 later became a fitness and wellness
lifestyle brand. Couch Guy Sports suggested Bundchen's concussion confession was part of a
"long con" to generate interest in the brand by boosting Brady's image as a superior specimen
of health and fitness — who could bounce back quickly after a concussion. Other commentators
speculated that Bundchen revealed Brady's secret concussions to pressure her husband to retire.
Bundchen's 2018 memoir, Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life, revealed that the model
suffered from severe anxiety in her twenties. Sadly, her panic attacks became so bad that
she briefly considered taking her own life. Bundchen wrote that rather than taking Xanax,
she used meditation, yoga, and diet to overcome her anxiety.
The supermodel spoke with The Guardian about her decision not to take medication, saying,
"That's the problem with today's society, people want instant gratification. [...] For
me to cure my panic attacks, it took months. I could have taken a pill,
but I decided no. I'm going to wake up every morning and I'm going to
meditate and do breath work. [...] Everything starts with discipline."
The quote was widely criticized and even the writer of article noted,
"But not everyone has access to the financial and physical support she [Bundchen] has."
A writer for The Independent railed,
"Bundchen's comments imply that mental health
recovery is a matter of willpower — when in reality, many of us need medication."
Others posted angry messages on social media, slamming Bundchen for insinuating that people
who take medication for their depression or anxiety were taking the easy way out.
Despite lessons learned from past public missteps, Bundchen managed to make waves yet again
in a 2018 Vogue interview. The fashion icon told the magazine that she wasn't really into
social media and that her sister had created an Instagram account for her. Bundchen explained,
"If it was me, it would only be pictures of sunsets. It's not my generation — I have to
be honest about that. I'm older, wiser. If I had to promote myself
in the way girls modeling now have to do, forget it. I wouldn't do it."
Some readers interpreted the comment as a passive aggressive dig at younger models. And once again,
Bundchen's choice of words was viewed as pretentious and even hypocritical.
Her own Instagram at the time contained numerous photos of the model posing for
the camera and frolicking in a bikini on the beach — not exactly
the Instagram page of someone who claimed an aversion to social media promotions.
After the criticism, Bundchen apologized on social media. She tweeted,
"I'm sorry that my words in my most recent Vogue article were misunderstood. My intention was
simply to express that I come from an older generation and am not technologically savvy.
I admire the younger generation and their skill to manage all the added demand of social media.
I certainly never feel that I am wiser than anyone, and I believe that we are all learning."
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