Bella Hadid Is Constantly Reinventing Herself
The 50th Anniversary Issue of W is an all-out supermodel celebration featuring 17 cover stars ranging from the world’s most famous names to women who are well on their way to total fashion domination. See every cover model here and read Jenny Comita’s essay about the evolution of the beauty standards that define the industry here.
What appealed to you about being a model?
Modeling was always in my stars, and I had to accept that. My mom grew up modeling, and my sister, obviously, is incredibly successful and great at her job. At the end of the day, I think we all have this work ethic of wanting to be the best at whatever we do, and I knew that if I worked my butt off, I could succeed in this business. Still, it took a really long time to not have impostor syndrome. To be honest, it’s only been in the past year that I’ve felt confident in my craft and that impostor syndrome started to float away a little bit. Now I know what I want to do, who I want to work with, and what I like and what I don’t like. Until you really listen to yourself and stand by your boundaries, you can’t move forward.
Giorgio Armani dress; Chopard earrings, necklace, and bracelet; Jimmy Choo shoes; stylist’s own camisole, briefs, gloves, fishnets, and thigh-highs.
Burberry bodysuit, belted kilt, and boots; Chopard earrings and bracelet; stylist’s own fishnets.
The ’80s and ’90s as decades were distinct eras in terms of the model’s aesthetic. Do you think there is an overarching beauty trend at the moment?
No. There really isn’t one definition of what beauty is right now. For so many years, people tried to condense us into one type. It used to be about having one look and that was the look you were going to ride with for the rest of your career. I’m constantly reinventing myself, and I want to show every version of myself that I can be. For hundreds of years it was, this is how a woman looks, and this is how a man looks, and now we’re not so locked into that. The beauty of now is that you can look at yourself in many different ways and love all parts of yourself.
Hermès jacket; Ashlyn skirt; Hanro briefs; Patricia Underwood hat; Chopard earrings and necklace; Balenciaga sneakers; stylist’s own gloves, socks, and fishnets.
Melitta Baumeister coat and hat; Chopard earrings and necklace; stylist’s own bra, briefs, fishnets, thigh-highs, and tights.
The Brazilian photographer Rafael Pavarotti has established himself with a clear eye for composition and a fondness of vibrant colors. He captured Bella Hadid, Anok Yai, Kendall Jenner, Precious Lee, and Adut Akech—models with a strong point of view and an even stronger sense of self.
Hair by Eugene Souleiman at Streeters; makeup by Chiao-Li Hsu for Lashify at CLM; manicures by Eri Handa for Chanel Beauty at Home Agency. Casting by Michelle Lee at Michelle Lee Casting. Set design by Mary Howard at MHS Artists.
Bella Hadid at IMG; produced by PRODn at Art + Commerce; production manager: Mitch Baker; producers: Kait Robinson, Ian Milan; photo assistants: Felix Turnbull-Walter, Valdrin Rexhepi, John Griffith; digital technician: Paul Allister; on-set retoucher: Pawel Okol; retouching: DTouch London; fashion assistants: Felix Paradza, Marion Kelly; production assistants: Ryan Carter, Rance Gensemer, Kelli McGuire; hair assistants: Pamela Baumgartner, Christine Moore, Anastasiia Milyaeva; special thanks to David at Fourteenjay Salon; makeup assistants: Mert Nazlim, Iona Moura; manicure assistant: Yoshimi Muranashi; set assistants: Montana Pugh, Michael Newton, Kylie Baker, Jason Beaucourt, Brendan Galvin, Ben Redding, Breanna Dejesus; tailor: Olga Dudnik; props: Hook Props; special thanks to Hook Studio
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