Gigi Hadid is one of the most iconic faces in the fashion industry, and, from the looks
of it, she's just getting started. From GUESS to Victoria's Secret, and supermodel to super-mom,
this talented stunner clearly knows what it takes to succeed. So what's her secret sauce?
Here's why Gigi Hadid is seriously turning heads.
She might have one of the most recognizable faces in the modeling world today, but the
name we've all come to love is actually relatively new. Gigi was born in April 1995 to her parents
Mohamed and Yolanda Hadid under a much different name, and very far removed from the catchy,
four-letter "Gigi." In fact, her given name is, drumroll, please…
"Jelena."
So, how did "Gigi" become a thing? Well, she got it from her mama. Recalling how a teacher
once asked her mom what nickname she could call her daughter, Gigi told Vogue,
"My mom was called [Gigi] as a kid by her mother when she was younger, but only around
the house…My mom was like, 'I call her Gigi sometimes.' And the name stuck."
It seems Gigi came by supermodel talents quite honestly. Her mom, Yolanda, of Real Housewives
of Beverly Hills fame, was a supermodel herself back in the '80s. And good genes aren't the
only things Gigi inherited from her model mom, it appears she acquired her mother's
work ethic, as well. Yolanda wrote on her website about how she got her start in the
industry, and what she did to make the most of it. She said,
"I was disciplined, focused, and motivated. Nothing was going to stop me from being successful
and succeeding in the industry in which I had landed."
"She's a natural. She was bred for this."
Gigi's little sister, Bella Hadid, also inherited the family talent. You probably recognize
Bella from her work on the runway, Victoria's Secret, and her totally adorable, highly publicized
romance with the singer, The Weeknd.
"What's really nice about being a sister duo in this industry, is that you get to have
each other and that you get to experience it together."
Gigi's resumé would make even the most seasoned models look like newbies. And, in fact, it's
quite possible that she has worked for some of your favorite brands. The blonde bombshell
has walked the runway for celebrated designers Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Tom Ford, Michael
Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, and Victoria's Secret, just to name a few. But working with some
of the biggest names in the industry is no sweat for this girl. After all, when your
first real modeling gig was as a GUESS girl, everything else is smooth sailing.
"When I'm walking in a show, I usually just, like, blackout. Walk."
According to Sports Illustrated, Hadid was originally discovered by GUESS co-founder
Paul Marciano when she was just 2 years old. Her first GUESS campaign ran two years later
in 1999, featuring a toddler Gigi looking too cool for school in a denim jacket and
bandana.
"My first jobs were with GUESS Kids and Baby GUESS until I was around 10."
Since her debut, Gigi has starred in many other campaigns with the California-based
denim company. And if GUESS hasn't already made their feelings known, she'll likely star
in many more. At the time, Marciano told the Hollywood Reporter,
"From day one I said, 'She's going to be a star.'"
"Coming back to GUESS is so natural for me. I'm, you know, they're my family and I always
love being back."
Since she's pretty much been a model from the very beginning, it only makes sense that
Gigi would go on to big time success in the industry. And in 2014, she starred in an enchanting
spread for CR Fashion Book titled "American Fairy Tale", featuring the model clad in bikinis,
denim, and not much more.
But the fairytale-inspired spread wasn't the only big thing to happen in Gigi's career
in 2014, the supermodel also made her Fashion Week debut that very same year. Gigi told
The Cut,
"[Fashion Week] was crazy; I got to walk with my idol Candice Swanepoel. She was in front
of me in the lineup. It was just unbelievable."
Considering Gigi is one of the most recognizable faces in fashion today, it's safe to say her
Fashion Week debut was a total success.
In October 2015, it was announced that Gigi would be walking in the Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show, and no one was more thrilled to hear the news than Gigi herself. The model
took to her Instagram page to express her excitement, writing,
"Couldn't keep back my tears. Anyone that grew up with me knows that getting this show
has been a dream of mine forever!"
"I didn't mean to cry. We're so excited!"
But the good news didn't end there. Just one year after her Victoria's Secret debut, the
supermodel received one of the highest of runway honors, her Angel wings. In a super
cute video featuring Lady Gaga and the Hadid sisters, backstage at Victoria's Secret, Gigi
tried on her very first pair of Angel wings with the 2016 show's musical guest, Gaga,
and sister Bella Hadid.
"I wish I could be on stage with Gaga all day, she's the best."
Life as a globally-known supermodel may seem like it's all fun and glamour, but of course,
even celebs deal with their fair share of unpredictable hardships, just like us regular
folk. And for Gigi, one of those challenges has been learning to live with an autoimmune
disorder called Hashimoto's disease. In December 2016, for the Reebok "Perfect Never" campaign,
Hadid opened up during a celebrity panel to reveal her diagnosis and dish on exactly how
it's affected her life. She said,
"I have Hashimoto's disease. It's a thyroid disease, and it's now been two years since
taking the medication for it. So for the [Victoria's Secret] show I didn't want to lose any more
weight, I just want to have muscles in the right place…and if my butt can get a little
perkier, then that's good."
"My butt is what I'm working on for the last two weeks just need to get it a little bit
perkier."
Symptoms of Hashimoto's include fatigue, sluggishness, memory lapses, muscle pains, and even depression,
so it's a very good thing this super busy star was able to receive the medical care
she needed, so she could get back to doing what she does best!
Gigi is truly beloved in the industry, and it turns out, this girl is a role model in
the truest form. First things first, don't expect her to conform to the skinny supermodel
stereotype anytime soon. In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Hadid revealed her inspiring
thoughts on what having a positive body image means to her. She said,
"I can have like, you know, the body for a certain runway show if I need to. But that
doesn't mean that I'm doing it in an unhealthy way."
"It's just about everyone kind of accepting their body as it matures and knowing that
it's not always gonna look the same, and you can love yourself in all different shapes
and sizes."
And it seems that Gigi's industry peers have taken note of her spirit, as well. At the
2016 Fashion Awards, Hadid was named International Model of the Year. She said,
"[The award] was voted on by 1000 people that I worked with [in 2016]. I don't think half
of them said, 'Gigi's pictures were the best of my pictures this year,' but maybe they
said, 'I had a great day shooting with Gigi. She gave all her energy.'"
If there's one thing you can be absolutely certain about, it's that Gigi is not one to
be messed with. During Milan Fashion Week in 2016, Gigi was minding her own business
when known "prankster" Vitalii Sediuk crept up behind the supermodel and lifted her off
her feet. Sounds terrifying, right? Gigi thought so, too. In an op-ed piece for Lenny Letter,
the young star said she felt she was, quote, "in danger" during Sediuk's prank attack.
So she gave the self-proclaimed prankster exactly what he deserved, a swift elbow to
the face.
"I went to go grab him, but Gigi already took, you know, she was already showing off her
moves, so I was like step back for a second."
People were quick to praise Gigi's quick thinking and reaction time in the face of perceived
danger, but the model insists she's not a hero. She wrote in Lenny Letter,
"It was just what I had to do. I want girls to see the video and know that they have the
right to fight back, too, if put in a similar situation."
Gigi and Zayn Malik, of X-Factor and One Direction fame, made their debut as a couple on the
2016 Met Gala red carpet after months of speculation amongst fans and media outlets, especially
after that super steamy "Pillowtalk" video. The two have always spoken highly of each
other, Gigi even told E.S. Magazine in 2016 that she and Malik were best friends. At the
time, she claimed,
"We both feel we can talk about anything and learn a lot from one another."
"We'd never actually been on a first date until each other, so that was new for us,
but it worked out nicely."
Sadly, the cute couple's love story came to an end in March 2018, according to statements
on both of their Twitter pages. But even so, many fans were hopeful that the famous couple
would soon reunite. Still, in 2019, Gigi seemed perfectly happy living the life of a single
gal in New York City, even having a public summertime romance with The Bachelorette's
Tyler Cameron.
But even Gigi's flirty fling with the reality TV star wasn't enough to make fans think she'd
fully moved on from her former One Directioner beau. After Gigi and Cameron broke things
off, rumors started swirling that the supermodel was getting back together with Malik. And
in 2020, the buzz was confirmed when Gigi took to Instagram on Valentine's Day to post
a picture of Malik, writing,
"HEY VALENTINE. Z on the farm 2019."
One thing's for sure, no matter how much Gigi has changed over the years, her feelings for
Malik have never seemed to falter.
As a famous face of the fashion industry, Gigi is expected to look stylish, polished,
and chic at all times. Of course, having to be perfectly put-together every day likely
sounds exhausting to any "normal" person. And as it turns out, Gigi also gets tired
of having to appear a certain way for the cameras. In a March 2020 interview with Harper's
Bazaar, she revealed the many lessons that life on her family's Pennsylvania farm had
taught her. She told the outlet,
"The farm has really made me remember, and bring back to my life, my most simple pleasures.
It's allowed me to fill my days off with the little things that make me happy…without
having to worry about things like what I'm wearing or how my hair looks, or being photographed
or seen that day."
"What is your favorite memory from your childhood?"
"Being with my horses all the time, like morning to night."
Adding that spending time away of the glare of the media has been good for her mental
health as well, she said,
"Being away from the city and the public eye makes me feel like a kid again, and that freedom
has been really healing for me."
Gigi remains one of the most iconic supermodels of her generation, with distinct physical
features that have become trademarks of sorts, including her round face and super-arched
brows.
But apparently Gigi's features are so distinct that some fans of the supermodel believe she
tweaked her natural features to attain her famous look. Still, according to Gigi herself,
her look is all her own. In a May 2020 Instagram Live video with makeup artist Erin Parsons,
Gigi defended herself against rumors claiming she'd purposefully altered her appearance,
saying,
"People think that I shape my brows…If you look at baby pictures of me, I've had these
crazy arched brows since I was born!"
Gigi also told Parsons that some fans think she's even had fillers applied to her face
to give it a more rounded look. Instead, she revealed,
"I have never injected anything into my face. I feel like I'm too much of a control freak
that I'm like 'What if it goes wrong?'"
"Sometimes when I'm feeling cute, or got to sleep in, then I'll do a little tinted moisturizer."
Gigi is clearly slaying life as a supermodel. But during an April 2020 episode of The Tonight
Show, she revealed to host Jimmy Fallon that she was also on her way to becoming a super-mom.
Confirming that she and Malik were expecting, she said,
"We're very excited and happy and grateful for everyone's well-wishes and support…I'm
trying [to be present for every part of it]. It's a nice silver lining to be able to be
home together and really experience [the pregnancy together]."
"Your news was great news."
"Yeah, definitely not bad news, and we're super happy now to be able to be excited."
In May 2020, Hadid took to Instagram to post a sweet dedication to her own mother, who
will no doubt be around to help guide her daughter through the ups and downs of motherhood.
She wrote,
"Happy Mother's Day to the one I'll do my best to emulate. I love you beyond words…You
are a superhero!"
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