Gigi Hadid looked back on the body-shaming she faced at the beginning of her modeling career. The model revealed how criticism about her appearance affected her confidence and credited Donatella Versace with helping her embrace her body and see herself in a more positive light.
Gigi Hadid says Donatella Versace changed how she viewed her body as a young model
Gigi Hadid opened up about facing body-shaming earlier in her career. During her Vogue France cover interview, she recalled her experience at the beginning of her career.
When asked about any decisive encounter in her career, she said, “When I started out, people would tell me: With that body, you’ll never walk the runway for Victoria’s Secret, Or You’d have to lose so many kilos…”
She recalled that Donatella Versace changed her perspective, adding that “Donatella Versace changed everything for me, at a time when people were less accepting of my body. I was learning to accept my body. And then Donatella said to me, ‘Darling, you’re the sexiest girl I’ve ever seen.’ She gave me something invaluable: confidence. After that show, I still lacked self-assurance. But walking in Milan for such a prestigious fashion house, and being chosen to be the face of the campaign, suddenly helped me see myself differently.”
According to the Daily Mail, Versace hired Gigi Hadid to walk in Versace’s Spring/Summer 2016 show, which she described as a turning point in her career.
She admitted that criticism made her consider whether modeling was for her. However, Hadid said she was prepared to make her mark in the world and did not get discouraged by the remarks. She said, “I didn’t let those judgments get to me. I told myself, if people continue not to believe in me, I’ll find my way elsewhere, on TV, but I knew I had something to offer.”
Hadid shared that she was “lucky enough” to work with top designers and luxury brands. She recalled working with “Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, and Peter Lindbergh, as well as Virgil Abloh and Marc Jacobs.”
Gigi Hadid modelled as a child before making her full-time modelling debut at New York Fashion Week in 2014.
