The secret of the seemingly charmed life of Gigi Hadid.
The secret of the seemingly charmed life of Gigi Hadid.
For the first time in as long as our collective CLEO brain can remember, our last three issues have all had models on the cover.
Just as the ’80s are back in fashion, so too are supermodels. And our genetically gifted cover stars – Kendall, Cara and now Gigi – are arguably the three leading the pack. Cara was first out the gate, with Kendall close behind.
At first, it seemed like perhaps Gigi was a little behind in the race. She rose to fame a little later, her walk was widely criticised on the internet, and she has also struggled with her body shape.
Only in the modelling world could a girl as tall, toned and quite frankly thin as Gigi be considered “unusual”. But there she was, covered up in a poncho in Tommy Hilfiger’s 2015 Fall show.
“Our casting director said, ‘She doesn’t really fit because, you know, she’s not quite as tall as the other girls; she’s not quite as thin,” Tommy Hilfiger told Yaho o in late 2016 (though he said he was incredibly upset by this decision). “It covered a lot of her body, unfortunately, but it received millions of hits.”
KEEPING IT REAL
And therein lies Gigi’s secret to success. She is not your stereotypical human coathanger. She is real, and with that comes flaws: “No, I don’t have the same body type as the other models in shows. No, I don’t think I’m the best at any given show. Yes, I want to have a unique walk but I also know I have to improve. No, I’m not the first or last model of my type in this industry,” she declared on Instagram during Paris Fashion Week in September 2015.
She is relatable (well, as a tall cherub with glossy hair can be) as, like us, she is aware of these flaws. We can all take heart in the fact that she works harder because of them, and most importantly, she makes them work for her.
She won a legion of fans by poking fun of her walk in a video for W, showing her strutting on a treadmill in couture outfits and crawling like a cheetah across the floor (because you have to crawl before you can walk, obviously). “It’s always left foot in front of right foot,” she deadpans. “Like, if you go right foot in front of left foot – everyone’s going to know. It’s embarrassing. It’s like social suicide.”
Gigi is also having to fight against allegations similar to those levelled at her fellow model, Kendall Jenner – that her success is based on her fame, rather than the other way round. For those of you who aren’t fans of every spinoff of The Real Housewives, Gigi’s first moments in front of the camera came in her cameos on her mother Yolanda Foster’s show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
“No, I don’t have the same body type as the other models in shows. No, I don’t think I’m the best at any given show... No, I’m not the first or last model of my type in this industry.”
She was often seen cooking in their sprawling kitchen, or hanging out with her sister Bella and brother Anwar (who, also possessing picture perfect features, are both signed with IMG, the same modelling agency as Gigi). But the series also showed the family’s battle with Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks. Symptoms include memory problems, exhaustion, and joint pains and swellings.
Chronic Lyme Disease, which refers to continued issues even after the infection has been treated, is a contentious one. While some healthcare providers say it’s due to ongoing infection, other sources say it isn’t true. Yolanda, Bella and Anwar all suffer from the disease; with Bella having to give up her goals to become an Olympic Equestrian rider.
As the only one without the disease, Gigi has choked up in interviews while admitting it’s hard on her in her own way too, as she’s not able to understand them the way they can each other. She isn’t afraid to show her emotions, or to express them on Twitter or Instagram either.
SHARING IS CARING
Today’s models, in particular Gigi, have been given monikers like “the social supermodels”, and some of the older generations of models have slammed them, saying they haven’t had to work as hard. Gigi, of course, disputes this, telling W in a 2015 interview: “I was doing everything that everyone does, all the crazy long castings, and go-sees in weird places in dungeons in the middle of London where you don’t know where you are. I’ve done all of it.”
And did her social media following help? “A lot of [the models critcising her] haven’t met me or haven’t spoken to me or spoken to the people I work with, so are therefore judging me for a tool that I think would be dumb not to use,” she commented on The View in late 2016.
So, yes, it may work for her, but on the other hand, she allows people to be a part of her life, sharing her friendships – from her high school best friend Cully to her famous ones like Taylor – and her relationships, posting Snapchats of her and boyfriend Zayn making out in the car, or tucked up together in bed – with her 27 million followers. This leaves her vulnerable to gossip and judgement. So in ways, this is a generosity other generations didn’t share – think of how rare it is to hear Kate Moss’s voice at all.
It’s fitting then that she continues that Instagram post admitting all her flaws by saying: “You can make up all the reasons you think I am where I am, but really, I’m a hard worker [who’s] confident in myself, one that came at a time where the fashion industry was ready for a change.”
Given that she’s currently co-designing with Tommy Hilfiger and Stuart Weitzman, has endorsement deals with Maybelline and Reebok, walked in her second Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and was just voted International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council – it’s a change that everyone’s embracing. No wonder we’re all obsessed.
THE SOCIAL SUPERMODEL
L: Gigi’s old BFF and new pal Taylor hanging. R: Posting is the new PDA.
MODEL CITIZEN
Gigi and Bella became the first-ever sisters to appear in a Victoria’s Secret show.
Images Getty Images, Showbit.com / Instagram Account @gigihadid.
