Meet the former professional basketball player who is the new face of Victoria's Secret
Elsa is a pro now, but every supermodel has to start out somewhere. She has said she first started visiting modeling agencies when she was 13 years old — so her career has been more than a decade in the making.
She balanced modeling with basketball, which was no easy feat. "I played on a professional level until I was 17," she told Ground Mag. "Combined with school and modeling, it was a lot of work – but I loved it."
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Source: The Ground Magazine
[Professional basketball in Sweden is] not anything like the WNBA, I mean basketball is not that big in Sweden," she said to Fashionista. "But it was still very tough. We worked out probably like eight times a week, and then it was games on the weekend. It took up a lot of time, it got really serious and [I realized] I wanted to explore the world and meet people and not be tied down.
![[Professional basketball in Sweden is] not anything like the WNBA, I mean basketball is not that big in Sweden," she said to Fashionista. "But it was still very tough. We worked out probably like eight times a week, and then it was games on the weekend. It took up a lot of time, it got really serious and [I realized] I wanted to explore the world and meet people and not be tied down.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-47567286,width-700,height-525,imgsize-43/professional-basketball-in-sweden-is-not-anything-like-the-wnba-i-mean-basketball-is-not-that-big-in-sweden-she-said-to-fashionista-but-it-was-still-very-tough-we-worked-out-probably-like-eight-times-a-week-and-then-it-was-games-on-the-weekend-it-took-up-a-lot-of-time-it-got-really-serious-and-i-realized-i-wanted-to-explore-the-world-and-meet-people-and-not-be-tied-down-.jpg)
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Source: Fashionista
And that ultimately meant picking modeling over basketball. "It became hard to balance everything," she revealed to Ocean Drive. "I had to choose basketball or modeling because I was doing both on top of school, and it was hard coming back from jobs and having my teammates already practicing new [skills]. I couldn’t keep up. If I’m not the best at something, I don’t want to do it at all. I was the team captain and kept missing games, which was unacceptable, so I chose modeling. But I do miss basketball."
![And that ultimately meant picking modeling over basketball. "It became hard to balance everything," she revealed to Ocean Drive. "I had to choose basketball or modeling because I was doing both on top of school, and it was hard coming back from jobs and having my teammates already practicing new [skills]. I couldn’t keep up. If I’m not the best at something, I don’t want to do it at all. I was the team captain and kept missing games, which was unacceptable, so I chose modeling. But I do miss basketball."](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-47567287,width-700,height-525,imgsize-1091255/and-that-ultimately-meant-picking-modeling-over-basketball-it-became-hard-to-balance-everything-she-revealed-to-ocean-drive-i-had-to-choose-basketball-or-modeling-because-i-was-doing-both-on-top-of-school-and-it-was-hard-coming-back-from-jobs-and-having-my-teammates-already-practicing-new-skills-i-couldnt-keep-up-if-im-not-the-best-at-something-i-dont-want-to-do-it-at-all-i-was-the-team-captain-and-kept-missing-games-which-was-unacceptable-so-i-chose-modeling-but-i-do-miss-basketball-.jpg)
Source: Ocean Drive
Her choice obviously paid off. Soon she was appearing in a slew of campaigns, for brands such as Ugg and Guess.
She appeared on magazine covers across the globe.
She even recently modeled for popular fast fashion brand H&M.
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But her big break was when she walked the runway for Victoria's Secret's annual show in 2011.
It was obviously a smart career move. She walked the runway for the lingerie company's signature show again in 2012.
She returned again in 2013, proving she was a mainstay for the show. (Fun fact: she told Vogue UK the smiley balloon she wore weighed about 30 pounds!)
Source: Vogue UK
She turned heads once again when she walked at the 2014 show.
In fact, she famously "wing-slapped" Ariana Grande at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Grande tweeted about it, calling it "awesome" and joking the wing-slap was a "#bangbangintomyface."
Source: HollywoodLife/YouTube; Twitter
Her outfit at the 2014 show was so recognizable, she even received a Barbie doll modeled after her.
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Walking the runway in over-the-top lingerie isn't all that she has done for Victoria's Secret. She appeared in the 2014 Victoria's Secret Hair and Makeup Show, showing off her radiant glow.
But most people know Hosk for her involvement with Victoria's Secret's younger sister brand, PINK. She promoted the brand's PINK Wear Everywhere Bra.
She became the face of PINK, which she told T Magazine "[was] the greatest gig ever."
![She became the face of PINK, which she told T Magazine "[was] the greatest gig ever."](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-47567301,width-700,height-525,imgsize-971384/she-became-the-face-of-pink-which-she-told-t-magazine-was-the-greatest-gig-ever-.jpg)
Source: T Magazine
This year, her career really starting reaching new heights. She appeared in the Victoria's Secret Swim Special just months before Victoria's Secret announced that she would be inducted as an Angel.
And now, she's officially graduated from PINK to Victoria's Secret.
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She recently proved she was more than just a pretty Angel — she's tough. She showed off her strength in Victoria's Secret's #TOTALknockout campaign.
Source: Victoria's Secret/Youtube
So, what's her secret to looking so gorgeous? She takes care of herself. "I think it’s most important to be healthy on the inside," she told T Magazine. "I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times, but it’s true: eat healthy, drink plenty of water and exercise. And a beautiful personality makes anyone gorgeous."
Source: T Magazine
And no surprises here, but she works out a ton. "I really love working out. And it takes effort to keep my body in shape. I like to do Pilates, boxing, dancing or spinning. I need to keep active because that’s when I’m most happy," she said to T Magazine, before revealing something that might shock her fans. "But I also love eating — I think it’s one of the greatest pleasures in life!"
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Source: T Magazine
What's next for her besides modeling? She's got plenty on her plate. She's not just a model; she's also an activist — she's a huge supporter of Fair Girls, an organization that aids women who have survived human trafficking. She recently attended the organization's Pearls for Purpose gala and called the evening "such an empowering night" on Instagram.
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Source: Fair Girls; Glamour; Instagram
We'll definitely be seeing more of this supermodel as she continues to take the industry by storm.
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