Brazilian model and actress Adriana Lima is best known for her iconic role as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. In fact, she’s their longest-running model, having been with the brand for the past 18 years. This year, she was even named “the most valuable Victoria’s Secret Angel.”
Working for the lingerie company since 1999, Lima is obviously no stranger to undressing for sexy photo shoots. But like most other women and young girls, she isn’t exactly carefree when it comes to body image issues. Lima says she also worries about what others think of her looks — namely, while at work.
“Every day in my life, I wake up thinking, how do I look?” she writes. “Was I going to be accepted in my job?”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbfeeSMF3Ow
Lima says she came to this realization after being approached by a friend who confided her insecurities about her own body — something that inspired Lima to make a special announcement on her Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbvF2uxBSia
In a heartfelt post, Lima talked about how she turned down an offer to be filmed in a “sexy video,” explaining that though she’d done similar work in the past, she would no longer take off her clothes for an “empty cause.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSWWwUjhMHL
Read her entire statement below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcfbxASB6jK
Many assumed this meant Lima would be ending her Victoria’s Secret career, but surprisingly, she has no plans to do so until at least 2019. According to TMZ, her post was apparently onlyreferencing the “sexy video” she mentioned turning down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWxK9NSBrQn