After a prolific modeling career that has lasted for two decades and 18 Victoria’s Secret runway show, supermodel Adriana Lima announced last week that she’s hanging up her wings and saying goodbye to the lingerie brand.
News of her exit broke after Lima, 37, posted an Instagram video featuring a highlight of her favorite walks at the trademark production.
“Dear Victoria,” she wrote in the caption. “Thank you for showing me the world, sharing your secrets, and most importantly not just giving me wings but teaching me to fly. And all the ❤️ to the best fans in the 🌎! Love, Adriana 💖”
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Lima has been the face of many clothing lines and several magazines, making her retirement from the modeling world an important announcement. In honor of her statement, here is a look back at her exemplary career.
1994: Lima entered her first modeling competition.
At the age of 13, Lima entered her first modeling competition in her native Brazil. When she was 15, she placed second in the "Ford Supermodel of the World Contest."
1997: When she turned 16, Lima moved to New York.
As most aspiring models do, Lima set her sights on the concrete jungle and signed with Elite Model Management to further pursue her budding career. Her first United States job was a campaign for the fashion designer Anna Molinari's clothing line.
1998: Lima landed her first magazine cover with Marie Claire.
September has long been regarded as the most important month in the fashion industry, where most "It" girls landed coveted cover editorials on some of the most iconic publications. Lima's first magazine cover was the September 1998 issue of Marie Claire magazine.
It didn't take long for Lima to find herself on the cover of an international brand. For their 20th Anniversary issue, Vogue Gioiello, Italian Vogue, tasked Lima to be their September 2000 cover star. As did Vogue Brazil in October 2000.
1999: Lima graced the Victoria Secret runway for the first time.
At the age of 18, Lima walked in her first Victoria's Secret runway show. Only the lingerie brand's fourth year producing the show, the 18-minute program was the company's first ever online streaming of the program.
2000: Lima was promoted as an official Victoria's Secret Angel.
In 2000, after a year with the company, Lima was contracted with Victoria's Secret and became an official Angel.
2000: GUESS? came knocking for Lima's services.
Lima was named a GUESS? Girl in 2000, making her first editorial appearance in their Fall campaign and featured in A Second Decade of GUESS? Images.
2003: Lima became the face of Maybelline, a gig that she would have through 2009.
Lima joined the New York-based brand in 2003 and was the company's official spokesmodel for six years. In 2014, Lima reprised her role as makeup giant's spokesmodel in 2014, joining the likes of Jourdan Dunn and Christy Turlington.
2006: Lima landed another major milestone.
Not only was Lima's April 2006 GQ cover the highest selling issue for the publication that year, she also landed on the Forbes highest paid supermodels list, coming in fifth place behind Heidi Klum and fellow Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen.
2010: She wore the famous fantasy bra for the first time.
Called the Victoria's Secret Bombshell Fantasy Bra, it is loaded with 142 carats, 60 carats being white diamonds and 82 carats of topazes and sapphires. It is worth an estimated $2 million. Four years later, she wore the fantasy bra again, sharing the duties with fellow supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio. Each bra was reported to have an estimated value of $2 million.
2012: For the fifth time, Lima opened the Victoria's Secret fashion show.
Less than two months after welcoming her second child, a daughter named Sienna, Lima opened the 2012 fashion show.
2015: She became the second-highest paid supermodel.
Falling only behind to Bündchen, Lima became the world's second highest-paid supermodel, with a reported net worth of $9 million.
2017: After 18 years with Victoria's Secret, Lima teased a possible retirement.
In a December 2017 Instagram post to then 11.5 million fans, Lima first hinted that she could be bidding adieu to her days with the Ohio-based corporation.
"I had received a call for the possibility of filming a sexy video of me to be posted and shared in social media," she wrote.
"Even though I have done many of this type, something had changed in me, when a friend approached me to share that she was unhappy with her body, then it made me think ... that every day in my life, I wake up thinking, how do I look?"
Explaining that living up to stereotypical notions that are furthermore bolstered by social media, Lima confessed that it was one of the contributing factors that led her to reconsider her career as a scantily-clad model.
2018: Lima hung up her Victoria's Secret Angel wings.
At only 37, Lima has the incredible advantage of taking on other career aspirations at such a young age. According to People, she is giving her time and energy to campaigns focused on women's empowerment.
"I'm looking forward to support women and being connected to different projects which support women around the world," she told the outlet ahead of walking in her final VS fashion show last week.
"[That's] my future from now on, but I am still happy that I am part of Victoria's Secret this year," she added. "You guys are going to love this year's show. To me, it is definitely going to be very special."
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