Why American Models Rule The World

Bow down Brazil: American models are in charge this year, with seven of the 21 models named on Forbe´s annual supermodel rich list hailing from the United States. Britain and Brazil boast three girls each; followed by a rainbow of other nations - Holland, Australia, China, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Puerto Rico and Canada - with one representative each.

Victoria´s Secret is another marker of desirability this year, with almost every model on the list having a link with the brand. Perhaps to alleviate the boredom of the same old top 10 (Gisele on top, again, no question), Forbes has released a longer list this year, charting the younger models whose earnings are now bordering on super - and all but four of the 21 names have modelled in some capacity for the lingerie giant.

Gisele Budchen

Another must is a lucrative beauty contract, with a large percentage of those named appearing in a campaign over the past year - from Bobbi Brown and L'Oréal to Estée Lauder and YSL Beauty.

While the first 10 are very familiar faces (and bodies), there are a few interesting developments in the chart - including the arrival of Kate Upton in the top five. The line-up is also more diverse than in previous years - with Joan Smalls, Jourdan Dunn and Liu Wen making the list.