A thin waistline can add up to a thick wallet. At least it has for the world's supermodels. These beautiful women have catwalked their way into the big time--and the big bucks.
In fact, the five supermodels on our list earned a collective $38.2 million in just one year, according to Forbes' annual listing of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities. The world's highest-paid model--Gisele Bundchen--earned a gorgeous $15.2 million in just 12 months.
Slideshows
The top 5 earning supermodels
Top earning celebrities under 25
Of course, fashion work alone can't bring in that kind of cash. Today's top-models parlay their good looks into television shows, fashion lines and even book deals.
Take Heidi Klum. Sure, the German supermodel is still strutting her stuff to the tune of many millions, but she has found other ways to cash in too. A signature line of sandals? Check. A jewelry line? Check. Perfume? Check. But Klum's highest-profile project is her television show, Project Runway, which airs on Bravo and has been nominated for an Emmy. Now in its second season, the show remains a hit. All in all, Klum's various ventures added up to a pretty $7.5 million.
Slideshows:
Top 10 earning celebrities
Top-earning dead celebrities
Best paid actresses
Supermodel Tyra Banks doesn't even bother to model any more--at least not in the traditional sense. Late last year, she put her catwalking career to rest. Now she is concentrating on being a television producer. The former Victoria's Secret Angel created her own production company, Bankable Productions, in 2003. Her first project, America's Next Top Model, a UPN reality program that she produces and hosts, remains a big ratings winner. And her second, a syndicated daily talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, keeps fans coming back for more.
And with three more projects in development--a sitcom, a one-hour drama and a made-for-TV movie--the multitalented star is bound to remain busy--and rich. Make that richer. Banks is already banking some $6 million a year.
Then, of course, there's Kate Moss. These days the British supermodel is cashing in on her misfortunes. Moss' downward spiral began last fall when a British paper, the Daily Mirror, published pictures of what sure looked like the rail-thin model snorting cocaine with her then boyfriend, bad-boy rocker Pete Doherty.
Moss' bad luck turned worse when she was promptly dropped as the face of Britain's Burberry and the Swedish-based retailer Hennes and Mauritz. A slew of other fashion heavyweights followed suit. Look for Moss' earnings to slide this year.
But things are starting to look up for Moss. She has dumped Doherty, and thanks to a deal with Richard Branson, Virgin Books is going to publish her life story. Or at least the first 32 years of it. The fly in the ointment? Scotland Yard is demanding that she return to Great Britain for questioning.
To determine which of the world's supermodels were earning the very most, we turned to the 2005 edition of Forbes' Celebrity 100, which ranks the most powerful actors, models, chefs and directors based on their media exposure (magazine covers, TV and radio mentions), Web presence (number of Google hits) and earnings.