Emanuela de Paula

Deliciously chocolate-hued Emanuela de Paula.



The 20-year old Brazilian model is the youngest Victoria's Secret Angel. Last month Emanuela de Paula signed a 3-year contract with the lingerie brand, but she has been appearing in their clothing catalog since she was 17.



Emanuela de Paula, whom the other models call 'baby angel', was shy about posing in lingerie for Victoria's Secret. "In the beginning it was kind of hard. I was ashamed to shoot only in bra and panties. But then I gained confidence....and the other angels welcomed me with open arms. "



Victoria's Secret Models Alessandra Ambrosio, Lindsay Ellingson, Marisa Miller and Emanuela de Paula attend the 10 year anniversary celebration of "The Body By Victoria Collection" at Victoria's Secret Herald Square on August 11, 2009 in New York City. Emanuela got to walk in the 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and comparisons were made with the other famous Brazilian models. De Paula is called the "next Gisele" and was number 11 in the list of highest paid supermodels for 2009, earning $2.5 million.

Emanuela has walked the runway for Diane von Furstenberg, DKNY, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Tea Rose, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Bottega Veneta, among many others. De Paula says she prefers print modeling, having posed for C&A, Carlos Meile, Blue Man, Valentine's Day, Next, Bloomingdale's, and Otto.



Emanuela de Paula is the face of UK retailer Next. On the left the sexy Brazilian wears a cocktail dress from Next, and on the right she dresses for bed in Next nightwear.

The 5'9" tall Emanuela was born (April 25, 1989) in the city of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, located in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Her father José de Paula is a radio announcer, and the family lived on a modest income. In 1997, 8-year old de Paula was the winner of Miss Pernambuco Child beauty contest. From then on Emanuela was set on becoming a model: "I looked at magazines and I thought that these women were so beautiful, thought of how lean I am, then I asked my grandmother to take me to (the city of) Recife, where the modeling opportunities existed."



At age 15 Emanuela de Paula was modeling for a brand at a shopping mall in Recife, when Paulo Borges, the creator of Sao Paulo Fashion Week spotted her. Signed on with the Prime Talents agency, Emanuela's next big break came in 2005 when Jennifer Lopez cast the newcomer in her fall runway show in New York City. Worldwide recognition followed after de Paula posed as Diana Ross in a editorial for W magazine, titled "Glamtastic". In 2006 Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue magazine, declared the Brazilian teenager as the "model of the season."



Emmanuela de Paula poses with some Meerkats in Botswana for the exclusive Pirelli Calendar shot in 2008. Since becoming an international model, Emanuela de Paula has been living in New York. Every year she spends Christmas with her family in Brazil and this year Emanuela is receiving an honor from the City of Cabo de Santo Agostinho. She is currently dating photographer G Prado.



Emanuela de Paula said in an interview, "I don't know my background - my father is black, my mother is white with green eyes - I am what we call 'mulata'." Recently there was a controversy in Brazil when quotas were announced for Black models in Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

Emanuela de Paula supported the move. "I believe that this measure will change some people's minds. Brazil is a country of many races and mixtures, and this should be reflected on the catwalk," said the model. "I hope that in future, the designers put in dark-skinned models on their own."



Emanuela describes her fashion sense as casual-chic and she likes hanging out in jeans and tees. Her favorite designers are Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang.

Emanuela de Paula counts singing and dancing as her hobbies; she also enjoys cooking. Her favorite food is cassava with dried beef and her aunt Eliana de Paula is a pastry chef.



Emanuela de Paula has a fit and athletic body. As a teenager she had problems with cellulite, even though she was always slim. "I started to worry about it when I came to Sao Paulo to work. In Recife (lymphatic) drainage never existed," remembers de Paula. Some hormonal therapy, diet control and MLD massage, helped with her cellulite removal. Nowadays Emanuela says she follows a strict exercise regimen: "I run in the morning every day for 30 minutes, then do a few sets of sit-ups, and spend time in the sauna."