She is one of the most sought-after top models in the world and at 25 years old she has a heart attack resume. But the workplace has ended up making a dent in Bella Hadid’s mental health, and the image she has of herself has become so much that insecurity paralyzes her.
Anyone would think that with nearly 49 million followers on Instagram and a good entourage of makeup artists, hairdressers, and couturiers eager to dress her up and make her their muse, Bella Hadid has little to worry about. But nothing could be further from the truth.
“I was in such a strange mental position that it was difficult for me to just leave the house and decide what to wear, especially with the anxiety generated by having them – the photographers – at the door of the house and all that,” confesses the young woman in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
With this same means, she expressed her willingness to remain oblivious to the opinions of third parties, something that can cause a lot of suffering if it is not properly managed. “This last year it’s been very important for me to learn that if people talk about my style if they like it, if not, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter, because it’s my style. When I leave the house in the morning what I ask myself is, “Does this make me happy? Do I feel good about it, and am I comfortable?” she asks.
Unable to respond to text messages from his mother and sister
He found it difficult to express and verbalize his emotions. Anxiety crushed her like a slab and she found herself unable to talk to even her closest friends. Instead of replying to his messages, he would send photos.
“My mother or my doctor would ask me how I was doing and instead of replying to them with a message, I would send them a picture. It was the easiest thing for me to do at the time because I was never able to explain how I felt. I was going through unbearable and debilitating physical and mental pain, and I didn’t know why. That has happened during the last three years of my life,” he said.
Bella Hadid has suffered from depression for several years, but it was not until last November when she decided to expose that vulnerable and unknown side to her audience: she published nine photographs crying with which she wanted to bring some reality and naturalness in an account full of luxury and glamour.
“It was to make it clear that anyone who felt that way knew it was okay to feel that way. Even if on Instagram things always look so beautiful, after all, we are all made of the same pasta. I thought it would be good for me to tell my truth and, at a certain point, not hang any more pretty photos. That was overcome,” he now says of that confession.
In the text that accompanied the photos, he explained that: “every human being is different, we all have something special and unique to offer. And people forget that we all feel basically the same way: lost, confused, not sure why we’re here. That anxiety is felt by everyone, and they try to cover it up in some way,” he said.
