J. Countess/Frazer Harrison/Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesJennifer Aniston made headlines earlier this month when she told Self magazine that she would love to trade bodies with Gisele Bündchen. The actress' reasoning was simple enough: "Just 'cuz, why not?"
Of course, Aniston is just one of many celebrities who envies the Brazilian supermodel. Speaking to E! News in August 2012, Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Kendall Jenner said, "I want to be the next Gisele Bündchen. Everything she does, who she is, what she's done, she's just amazing."
Jenner's certainly on her way: in the last month alone, the 18-year-old modeled for Chanel and more.
Brooklyn Decker, who modeled before becoming an actress, listed Bündchen as her No. 1 girl crush. "She can do no wrong in my eyes, she told GQ in May 2012. "Gisele is just so perfect in every way."
Of course, Bündchen's beauty can also makes some women feel insecure. "Do I sometimes look at Gisele Bündchen and wonder how awesome life would be if I never had to wear Spanx? Duh, of course," actress, writer and producer Mindy Kaling wrote in her 2011 best-selling book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). "That's kind of the point of Gisele Bündchen."
Similarly, in a November 2013 Parade interview, Kelly Clarkson laughed off the idea that she'd get her post-baby body back in record time like the catwalk queen did after giving birth to son Benjamin Brady in 2009 and daughter Vivian Brady in 2012. "I've never been Gisele Bündchen," the mom-to-be said, "so ain't nobody expectin' that! I like to set a [low] standard so people don't expect a lot."
In the August 2011 issue of Allure, Jessica Alba—mom to daughters Honor Warren and Haven Warren—also name-dropped Bündchen. "My body's just different," the svelte-again Valentine's Day star said of her post-baby figure. "The jeans just sort of zip up differently, and things hang differently. It's a miracle what happens, but you definitely are different afterward. Unless you're Gisele."
Kate Beckinsale and Sofía Vergara are undeniably beautiful, but both stars feel they pale in comparison to the leggy blond. "If someone turns up with cupcakes mid-afternoon, I'll have one. I'm not aiming to be Gisele," the Total Recall star told British Elle in December 2008. "And I'd hate to be one of those people who won't allow themselves a slice of birthday cake." Similarly, when Vergara spoke to Lucky in November 2012, the TV star said, "I know [my boobs] have opened doors for me, let's be real, but I so hate when I see Gisele and she is wearing a tiny little tank top with no bra, like, 'Oh, I just threw this on, I look so cute.' If I wore that I would look like I was pregnant, or a fat stripper."
Some stars, like Erin Andrews, believe they'll never measure up. "There are women I look at as beautiful—Gisele, she's my ultimate mega-crush—but I look at myself as just me," the sportscaster and Dancing With the Stars co-host told People in August 2012. "I don't see myself as that."
Perhaps it's time these women stop comparing themselves to other women and embrace their own unique beauty. After all, while Aniston may be envious of Bündchen's good looks, actress Amanda Peet would happily trade looks with either star. "If I could choose an ideal body, I'd take Gisele Bündchen's," she told Self in December 2009. "I challenge anyone to say she wouldn't want Gisele's body, deep down. Actually, I'd take a number of people's bodies. I'd take Jennifer Aniston's, too."