The world's highest-paid supermodel was rejected 42 times before she got her big break

Gisele Bundchen is indisputably a top model.

In fact, she's the world's highest paid supermodel, according to Forbes.

Forbes estimated that between June 2014 and 2015, she earned about $44 million.

But took awhile for her to get her career off the ground.

She recently disclosed to People that after moving to New York at age 16, it was extremely hard for her to get work.

"I was going to castings daily, but work was still very slow," she said to the magazine.

She revealed that it took a whopping 42 rejections before she had her big break with an Alexander McQueen show in 1998.

She also faced lots of criticism in the nascent stages of her career.

"I remember some people telling me my nose was too big or my eyes were too small, that I could never be on a magazine cover," Bundchen said to People. "It wasn't easy to be 14 and hear that kind of criticism. It made me feel insecure."

Her father offered her some advice.

"I told my dad, and he said, 'Next time, tell them, I have a big nose and that comes with a big personality,'" she said to People. "At that point I felt, if I kept working hard and giving my best, it would all work out."

Now, Bundchen is one of the most esteemed models out there; she's a brand in of herself. She's also associated with many high-profile gigs, most notably her lucrative position as a Victoria's Secret Angel, which she held until 2007.

Though she no longer is walking the runway, she's definitely not running out of work anytime soon. Right now, she's helping Under Armour's women's business explode.