About
Ana Paula Araújo is a Brazilian fashion model celebrated for the sun-kissed photographs she shot for the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Born on October 25, 1981, in the northern state of Roraima, she grew from small-town beginnings to become a face recognized on newsstands from New York to Tokyo. The Bahia beach spread—captured by Brazilian photographer J.R. Duran and featuring a memorable full-body artwork by body-paint pioneer Joanne Gair—sealed her reputation for effortless tropical glamour. Since then Ana Paula has fronted campaigns for labels like Liz Claiborne and appeared on catwalks and magazine editorials that celebrate her Amazonian roots. Her relaxed attitude, paired with a professional discipline honed over two decades, keeps her in demand long after many contemporaries retired. Today she divides her time between Brazil and occasional overseas shoots, and her social channels continue to showcase an infectious joy for nature, travel, and life outdoors.
Before Fame
Life in Boa Vista—a city surrounded by rivers and rainforest—gave Ana Paula a childhood filled with outdoor adventures rather than haute couture. That changed when, as a teenager, she accepted an invitation to audition for a local fashion event. Signing first with Ten Model Management in São Paulo, she jumped into catalog work and runway rehearsals while finishing correspondence courses for school. Industry directories note that she soon added Wilhelmina Models in New York and Action Model Management in Athens to her roster, an early hint of the global career ahead. By 2004 she was striding down the spring runway for Nicole Miller and other designers, mastering the pace and posture photographers prize. Those formative seasons taught her to adapt—whether to a 5 a.m. call time in Manhattan or a sun-blasted beach in Bahia—and laid the groundwork for the breakout Sports Illustrated feature that would broadcast her image worldwide.
Trivia
Ana Paula stands 5′ 10″ / 178 cm tall with classic 34-24-34 proportions, brown eyes, and warm brown hair—stats fans recite almost as readily as her birth date. Born under the sign of Scorpio, she laughs that the sign’s famed perseverance helps her hold awkward poses in knee-deep surf until the last frame is perfect. Her full-body canvas by Joanne Gair remains one of the most reposted images from the 2007 Swimsuit portfolio, regularly turning up in “best of” lists more than a decade later. Away from fashion, she lends her voice to environmental causes; an early Conservation International video shows her reminiscing about childhood swims in the Rio Branco and urging viewers to protect the rainforest that shaped her sense of home. A lesser-known tidbit: her first international commercial was a fragrance spot for Liz Claiborne, shot entirely in Spanish so Latin-American TV audiences would feel she was speaking directly to them. Between bookings she shares behind-the-scenes playlists and Amazon-inspired smoothie recipes with followers, a playful reminder that she keeps her roots close no matter where work takes her.
Family Life
Although her professional life plays out in public, Ana Paula guards her relatives’ privacy. Biographies reveal little beyond her upbringing in a modest Boa Vista household and repeated praise for a mother she calls “the strongest woman I know,” who encouraged language lessons that later eased international travel. Entertainment databases record only one past romantic relationship and list no spouse or children, suggesting she keeps her love life off-camera. When shoots wrap, she often retreats to family property in Roraima, posting dawn-lit rainforest photos rather than red-carpet selfies. Friends say the balance between high-fashion assignments and quiet northern-Brazil routines keeps her grounded and reminds her why she entered modeling in the first place.
Associated With
Career milestones have always involved creative partners. On the famed Bahia shoot she worked with photographer J.R. Duran, whose vivid beach portraits became synonymous with the 2007 Swimsuit edition. That feature also grouped her with six other Brazilian stars—Raica Oliveira, Daniella Sarahyba, Ana Beatriz Barros, Fernanda Tavares, Fernanda Motta, and Aline Nakashima—demonstrating the depth of Brazil’s modeling talent pool at the time. Since then she has shared runways and magazine pages with global icons, and colleagues consistently praise her easygoing attitude on set. Beyond fashion, her Conservation International appearance placed her alongside scientists and activists, proving she can transition from swimwear to sustainability without missing a beat. Together, these collaborations sketch a portrait of a model who thrives on teamwork, brings positive energy to every project, and uses her platform for causes close to her heart.
