Adoptive parents raised Brenda Schad after her 15-year old, unmarried mother put her up for adoption. It was no secret to Brenda that she was adopted, since she was always aware of who her birth mother was. Although it may seem somewhat hard to believe, Brenda was not the knockout she is today, a late bloomer with no confidence in her looks, Brenda has obviously gotten well passed that stage of her life. Others saw passed her awkward looks, since she was approached at the age of 14 and was offered the opportunity to become a model while she was in a store in Japan trying on a bathing suit. Brenda's life went in a completely different direction once she began modeling. She started to model full-time and got married at the age of 19. Going against her parents' wishes (and incidentally her own), Brenda went through with the wedding and soon learned that married life was not for her. She and her husband are now divorced.
Presently signed with Elite Model Management in Paris and Premier in London, Brenda may not have had a successful life as a wife, but she has sure proven to be successful as a model. Brenda has modeled for Lord & Taylor, Van Cleef & Arpels, and her most famous advertising campaign, the Triumph Wonderbra. What makes Brenda stand out from the slew of supermodels that we normally see posted on ads and magazine covers is her attitude. She did not come from a life and childhood of luxury. Her own job as a mother is one that she knows she was destined for and considers her daughter Sterling Victoria to be her greatest gift. Raising her daughter, even if it means as a single mother, is a career that she would never trade in. In the meantime, Brenda recognizes the fact that a career as a model is one with a very short life expectancy. She hopes to pursue another career when her time as a model comes to an end, either as a writer or in politics. On the romantic front, Brenda was formerly dating British millionaire Robert Hanson, who she met at a party when he was Naomi Campbell's date. Active in charitable causes, Brenda has become extremely militant to the Native American cause, and founded the Native American Children's Fund in Oklahoma. Brenda has proved that her supermodel status goes well beyond her looking beautiful on glossy paper.
Advertisements :
Lord & Taylor, Triumph Wonderbra, Van Cleef & Arpels.
Magazine Covers :
1997: Cosmopolitan UK - August, Tatler UK - January.
1998: GQ UK - August.
