Brazil's Rio de Janeiro is an exotic city of pleasure and beauty. It's only appropriate that it was the birthplace of Fernanda Motta in 1981. As the youngest child of a huge extended family, life was very sweet for her. She fondly remembers the family gatherings where people, about 100 of them, would play music, have a barbecue, and relax by playing tennis and soccer. As the baby of the family, everyone would pay extra attention to her to make sure she had the time of her life. She spent most of her years growing up interacting with her friends. A favorite activity during her teenage years was hanging out at the beach. When she was 16, she was taking it easy at Guarapari Beach, just north of Rio, a favorite spot of locals and tourists alike. Then, out of the blue, a modeling scout noticed her and couldn't believe his eyes. Without missing a beat, the scout approached Fernanda and told her she had all the right elements to make it in the modeling world if she wanted to. The teenager was taken aback, as she had never thought it was in the stars for her. But she decided to take a chance. Interestingly, this is the same way that fellow Brazilian model Ana Beatriz Barroswas discovered -- on the same beach, no less. From then on, it was the good life for Fernanda. Like the rest of her countrymen, as she likes to recall, she would work until 4 p.m. and then head for the beach. But that's not to say she wasn't busy. Quickly, Fernanda was adopted by the Brazilian publicity industry and was featured in a number of TV commercials. She even made it to the big screen by making a cameo appearance in the Argentinean film Slo por hoy (2001), known to the rest of the world as Just for Today. Ariel Rotter's comedy/drama follows a number of different storylines exploring the desires and limitations of human life. Even though Fernanda didn't have much of a part, it still looked good on her resume. Then, she started working on different campaigns for firms like Frum, Victoria's Secret, Wonderbra Brazil, and Pantene, the latter being really successful in the United States. Not only was Fernanda Motta featured in the Brazilian edition of Vogue, she made the cover of U.S. Glamour in February 2004. That same month, she was one of the lucky few chosen to be part of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition, her first appearance in this publication. Now living in New York City, Fernanda's hoping for a successful career. In a decade, she would like to be back in Brazil and take on a new role as a mother. Also, she would like to follow in the footsteps of Ana Hickmann -- a fellow Brazilian model -- and have her own collection of products.