Gisele Bündchen Bares Almost All in Gold Body Paint — and Gets Real About Living 'My Truth'

"I can't really worry about what other people say about me because what they say about me is none of my business,” the supermodel tells 'Harper’s Bazaar' for its February 2024 Joy Issue

Gisele Bündchen is unbothered by outside opinions.

In the pages of Harper’s Bazaar’s February 2024 Joy Issue, the supermodel, 43, opened up about how she has learned to do the (seemingly) impossible — thrive while grappling with not only life's usual ups and downs, but also a harsh, unflinching spotlight.

“You are where you come from,” said Bündchen, who has been prioritizing family time in her home country of Brazil as of late.

“All those things that I learned as a kid are things that are in me. It doesn’t change,” she told the magazine. “In many ways, it’s also what kept me safe, because my value system was so strong.”

Related: Gisele Bündchen's Modeling Streak Continues as She Strips Down to Her Bra and Jeans for Frame Spring Campaign

Bündchen also recalled another person who shaped her current outlook, an “amazing” friend of hers from Costa Rica, who died at age 76.

“He said to me, ‘Gisele, when the blame or the praise of millions of people doesn’t faze you, then you are free,’ ” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “When you’re trying to be this person who tries to please and tries to be accepted and tries to get that from the outside world, you’re never going to be truly who you are.”

And free is exactly how the model and mother of two’s cover shoot for the magazine can be described. Joyous and free.

Related: Gisele Bündchen Stresses the Importance of Kindness amid ‘Silent Struggles’ and ‘Heartbreak’

On the cover, Bündchen is more grounded than ever — literally. Clad in a pom-pom-covered Bottega Veneta crochet set, reaches to the sky, her feet planted firmly on the grassy soil.

Elsewhere in the shoot, she exudes joy an easy-breezy Michael Kors Collection caftan, a bandage-like JW Anderson wrap dress and — perhaps the most memorable look — head-to-toe gold body paint.

Bündchen shines in the metallic paint, which, at different points, is paired with a chunky Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a sparkling Miu Miu gown and a flowy Rick Owens cape — which she layered over her own underwear.

Related: Gisele Bündchen Opens Up in Surprisingly Revealing Sitdown with PEOPLE (Exclusive)

In every look, the supermodel exudes confidence and joy, the latter of which she has learned to expertly nourish.

Discussing the things that bring her happiness, Bündchen told the magazine that, “being in the place where I am in my life and having access to all the different things I’ve had access to, I feel like the simple things are best because I keep trying to go back to those things.”

“At the end of the day, those are the things that make me the happiest,” she added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Along with prioritizing the “simple things,” the model — whose 2022 divorce from Tom Brady after 13 years of marriage was a breeding ground for gossip — also maintains her happiness by ignoring unsolicited judgment on her life.

“I can’t really worry about what other people say about me because what they say about me is none of my business,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “It’s really their business that they’re trying to project onto me.”

“If I’m going to be affected by that, I’m never going to live my truth,” she added.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.