"There's a button that goes On and I'm On. And when I go On, there is almost no me; there is just a character who is doing all this"
About this Quote
The subtext is a quiet admission of labor. Fashion sells effortlessness, but "I'm On" is basically clocking in. The line "almost no me" punctures the fantasy that models are simply being themselves in expensive clothes. She's describing a practiced dissociation that lets her tolerate scrutiny, repetition, and the constant appraisal baked into the industry. "Character" is doing a lot of work here: it frames runway and editorial as acting, which is both a defense (don't confuse this with my real life) and a claim to skill (this is craft, not just genetics).
Context matters: Bundchen came up in the late-90s/2000s supermodel economy, when models became global brands and every appearance was content. The "On" button isn't only for the catwalk; it's for interviews, red carpets, the permanent semi-public state of being recognizable. Read one way, it's empowering - she controls when access is granted. Read another, it's a survival strategy in an image business that demands you be everything and nothing at once: a face that sells, a person who recedes.
Quote Details
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bundchen, Gisele. (2026, January 16). There's a button that goes On and I'm On. And when I go On, there is almost no me; there is just a character who is doing all this. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-a-button-that-goes-on-and-im-on-and-when-i-120720/
Chicago Style
Bundchen, Gisele. "There's a button that goes On and I'm On. And when I go On, there is almost no me; there is just a character who is doing all this." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-a-button-that-goes-on-and-im-on-and-when-i-120720/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"There's a button that goes On and I'm On. And when I go On, there is almost no me; there is just a character who is doing all this." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-a-button-that-goes-on-and-im-on-and-when-i-120720/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.







