Adriana Lima

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriana_Lima

Adriana Lima (born June 12, 1981) is a Brazilian model and actress, best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel since 2000 (being their longest-running model), as a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics from 2003 to 2010 and for her Super Bowl and Kia Motors commercials. At the age of 15, Lima finished first in Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" competition, and took second place the following year in the Ford "Supermodel of the World" competition before signing with Elite Model Management in New York City. In 2012, she came in 4th on the Forbes top-earning models list, estimated to have earned $7.3 million in one year. In 2013, she came in 3rd place and in 2014 she came in 2nd place with earnings of $8 million. In 2015, she came in 2nd place with earnings of $9 million.

Lima is the current brand ambassador for the Barcelona-based clothing brand Desigual, along with Canadian model Winnie Harlow.

Early life

Lima was born Adriana Francesca Lima on June 12, 1981 in Salvador, Brazil. The surname "Lima" is of Portuguese origin.

About her ethnicity, Lima stated that she is of Indigenous, Swiss, African, Japanese and West Indian ancestry.

Adriana speaks four languages: her native Portuguese, English, Italian and Spanish.

Lima never thought about being a model, although she had won many beauty pageants in elementary school. However, she had a friend at school who wanted to enter a modeling contest and did not want to enter alone, so Lima entered with her. Both sent in pictures, and the contest sponsor soon asked Lima to come out for the competition. Soon after, at the age of 15, she entered and finished in first place in Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" model search. She subsequently entered the 1996 Ford "Supermodel of the World" contest and finished in second place.