The world is full of beautiful people. But being sexy dwarfs beauty — it is more than just a pretty face or nice physique. When you look at the Sexiest Girls we have chosen, you see a common factor: they all own their sexuality. There will always be critics, but being sexy is about having the cheers of admiration drown the whispers of jealousy.
So each week, let FIB give you a glimpse into our upcoming book, TOP MODELS Volume 63 — Sexiest Girls. Be warned, though: some of these women can make Kate Moss jealous.
It says a lot about a person when by age 26, they have walked in nine Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows. What makes this more incredible is that this model is also the daughter of an African Christian minister. Born on 16 May, 1989 in Grootfontein, South-West Africa — which today is Namibia — Behati Prinsloo (pronounced “bee-ah-tee”) began a path that was seemingly away from modelling. By all accounts, Prinsloo never considered getting into the industry until at 16 she was spotted by Sarah Douskas while on holiday in Cape Town. This is the same Sarah Douskas that founded Storm Model Management and discovered Kate Moss. From there, things could only go up.
Take nothing away from Prinsloo, however. She is the definition of sexy: her beauty is merely an accessory to the confidence that emanates from every strand of her hair, every pore from her face. Her chiselled jaw that creates a sense of maturity contrasts her innocent, hazel eyes. Equally contradictory are her full lips and tall figure. It seems this mix of mature and youthful features gives Prinsloo the malleability to own the Haute Couture look as seamlessly as the swimwear vibe.
A glimpse at Prinsloo’s Instagram epitomises her grounded nature. The clash of civilisations she shows with the glitz of the fashion alongside the banality of everyday life, remind us of her humble beginnings. Couple this with the fact that Prinsloo married hopeless romantic turned sex symbol Adam Levine in 2014, and you can see why Prinsloo is one of the more adored Angels.
Prinsloo gained a notable foothold in the fashion industry in 2006, when she featured in Aquascatum’s Spring/Summer campaign, as well as the Fall/Winter campaign for Nina Ricci. The next year, Prinsloo’s career continued its upward trajectory when she was part of Tommy Hilfiger’s Fall/Winter campaign. She also featured on the cover of VOGUE Russia’s February edition. While these are impressive feats, Prinsloo’s role as a Model in the 2007 VS Fashion Show is perhaps the most significant, elevating her to recognisable status.
The breakthrough came the following year, with Prinsloo becoming the face of VS’ diffusion brand, PINK Victoria’s Secret. Relatively speaking, this was perhaps the biggest step in her career, as it transformed her from an occasionally-seen model to a regular fixture in global look-books and advertisement campaigns for one of the globe’s largest lingerie houses.
In 2009, Prinsloo cemented her status as a luminary of the fashion industry upon becoming a VS Angel. No superlative would be adequate to describe this achievement. Put simply, every model dreams of this title, yet so few attain it. And so, if there were any doubts about Prinsloo’s credentials as a model, they were to be diluted by future praise.
It is safe to say Prinsloo is at the height of her powers. Since becoming an Angel, Prinsloo has featured in a number of campaigns and covers for various magazines and labels. In 2015 alone, she featured on the covers of VOGUE Brasil (August), ELLE Spain (July), ELLE Girl Japan (June) and VOGUE Turkey (March). 2015 was also notable as it signalled the second consecutive year Prinsloo opened the VS Fashion Show. To put this in perspective, this is a role bestowed upon few (including the likes of Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel), further testament to Prinsloo’s measure in the industry.
In 2015, Prinsloo continued her campaigns. She harked back to where it all began, starring in Tommy Hilfiger’s Fall/Winter campaign. Another indicator of Prinsloo’s Sexiest Girls credentials came during her role in Do Something by Alexander Wang. Not only is Alexander Wang regarded as one of fashion’s contemporary pioneers, but this campaign included global icons such as Cara Delevingne, Kim Kardashian and Rod Stewart.
Being an Angel requires Prinsloo’s full-time commitment to VS. It is therefore no surprise that in 2015, Prinsloo was also in the advertisements for Body, Angels Only and Fabulous, all of which are VS fragrances. On top of this, Prinsloo is the face of I AM JUICY COUTURE by Juicy Couture, making her, at the time of writing, one of the globe’s most powerful models.
Prinsloo’s role off the runway is as commendable as it is on it. In 2011, she sent relief and worked in Port-au-Prince for LakayPam — a temporary NGO founded by model Coco Rocha following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2014, Prinsloo supported PETA’s campaign, “SeaWorld Kills”, alongside Ralph Lauren model Valentina Zelyaeva to protest the waterpark’s entrapment of marine mammals. That same year in October, Prinsloo garnered publicity for another humanitarian cause when she attended the UN Foundation’s Global Leadership Dinner, attended by Ban Ki-Moon and Kofi Annan.
Keep an eye out for FIB’s upcoming book TOP MODELS Volume 63 — Sexiest Girls.
