Bella Hadid: ‘People say that I don’t smile, or that I don’t have a personality’

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Bella Hadid covers the latest issue of Paper Magazine, although I wouldn’t be surprised if most people didn’t even recognize her. Bella is famously a brunette, which always made her stand apart from her big sister’s bubbly-blonde persona. Bella is the dark vamp to Gigi’s all-American-girl-next-door. But as it turns out, maybe that vamp vibe had nothing to do with hair color. Bella is bleach-blonde (white-blonde) in these Paper photos, and wouldn’t you know? She still looks like a mysterious vamp. Also, can I just say? I really loathe the lip-jewelry trend. Maybe it’s because I’m a lip-biter (it’s true), but it just seems like your lips are the one body part that shouldn’t have bling. If you want to bejewel your forehead, your nose, your boobs, you biscuit, whatever, go ahead. But your lips? Nope.

Anyway, this Paper interview isn’t all that interesting. It’s just a minor profile about how well Bella’s modeling career is going these days. She’s an in-demand runway model and editorial model, she’s the face of Dior Beauty and she recently signed a campaign with Nike (which makes no sense to me, but whatever). You can read the profile here. Some highlights:

On finally getting to walk in the Victoria’s Secret show: “I was really surprised, but definitely excited. I tried last year [to be cast in] the show,” she says, revealing that she was passed over in 2015. But “I think everything happens for a reason.”

On her weight loss over the year: “I feel the healthiest I’ve been in a long time. I feel fit.”

She’s not the mysterious, sullen Hadid sister: “People say that I don’t smile, or that I don’t have a personality,” she says, before expressing her excitement over getting to show a new side of herself in the photos that accompany this story.

Long-term goals: She says she’d like to keep shooting more photography, and that her career in front of the camera has taught her more and more about what goes on behind it. She also wants to act. “I think it would be really fun, because it’s exciting to be in front of the camera on film instead of just pictures,” she says. “I have so many goals,” she explains, before adding that “most of the time I like to keep them to myself, because I’m really superstitious.”

[From Paper]

I think it would be smart if these Instamodels did develop some superstitions and kept it to themselves that they secretly dream of being actresses/pop stars/fashion moguls/photographers/whatever. Whenever one of them says “I’d really love to act,” I always feel like they’re saying it publicly in the hopes that some producer will offer them a juicy role. And do we need to see Bella Hadid in a Weinstein Company movie? No. We don’t. But I think we should prepare ourselves for it just in case. I also love this: “People say that I don’t smile, or that I don’t have a personality…” and nothing. Dear Bella: know your branding! Being the dark, mysterious, unsmiling sister has gotten you this far. Don’t abandon that!

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Photos courtesy of Paper.

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32 Responses to “Bella Hadid: ‘People say that I don’t smile, or that I don’t have a personality’”

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  1. Lucy says:

    I don’t really have anything bad to say about her. She seems like a nice girl, nepotism and all.

  2. HK9 says:

    She doesn’t. I think she’s a beautiful girl but she’s in our faces because of her family connections and her Instagram presence, not because she’s good at what she does.

  3. Bex says:

    I don’t normally take much notice of her but I think she looks quite interesting in this shoot. More so than usual anyway.

  4. Sigh... says:

    I know it’s probably because of her “expression,” but her nose on the cover…it’s just…maybe its because I’m not used to her actually moving her face..?

    • minx says:

      I can never see past her nose job.

    • Shambles says:

      The nose job is really distracting. And she… she doesn’t ever smile though? Her eyes are dead and waxy? No lies are being told? I’m confused. That cover shot of her is the most interesting picture of her I’ve ever seen, because she’s actually attempting a facial expression, like you said. But somehow you can still tell that her default setting is wax figure.

  5. Sam says:

    But she doesn’t smile.

    Also again I don’t know why the Hadid sisters are considered Instamodels. An Instamodel is someone who got famous off of Instagram. Both Gigi and Bella didn’t get famous from Instagram. They got famous because their dad is a billionaire who got their foot in the door. They took the opportunity and ran with it. Similar to how other folks get in the industry.

    Just because they have A LOT of Instagram followers doesn’t make them instamodels.

    • Dq says:

      They gained this mass popularity on IG to start, so that is why they are often considered instamodels.

      • Sam says:

        They didn’t get their start on Instagram though. They got a huge following because of whAo they connected with. For example became BFFs with Taylor Swift. It was all about connections for them. The followers started coming because of that. An Instamodel is someone who became famous because of Instagram. The Hadid sisters were famous and were getting gigs before they got their huge following. And like I mentioned in my previous comment it’s because of nepotism. I would consider an Instamodel the guy (I forget his name) who got a contract with Covergirl. He got his start via YouTube and Instagram.

    • brooksie says:

      I agree! I always think of “Instamodels” as being bloggers that have gained an even larger presence on Instagram, and it’s allowed them to model/collaborate with brands.

  6. Sarah says:

    She got plastic surgery to look like a model.

  7. Georgia says:

    She looks so much more interesting as a blonde. She should go back to her natural hair color.

    • ell says:

      i don’t think she’s a natural blonde though, just a lighter shade of brown than what she usually has.

      • MellyMel says:

        No she and Gigi are both natural blondes. She’s just been dying her hair for years though & people forget that.

      • ell says:

        i don’t think it’s true. gigi was blonde as a kid, but hair do change and nowadays i’d say she’s a dirty blonde/light brown. but bella was never blonde. google their pics as children.

      • MellyMel says:

        I’ve seen pictures of her as a kid and she, Gi and their brother were all super blonde as babies/kids.

  8. Nancy says:

    I love the pic of her. She’s not a trend setter, models always look mad at the world walking down the runway and they’re not paid to charm us with their personality. They’re basically hangers with good bodies, pretty faces to showcase the clothes. So chill Bella, you’re good.

  9. Alleycat says:

    I think it’s quite telling that VS passed over Bella and Gigi before they were popular, and then immediately hired them when they started getting more followers. It shows you they didn’t think they were VS model material until they had more publicity.

  10. ell says:

    i think she’s gorgeous, but i don’t like these photos at all.

  11. Dq says:

    Oh, to be able to act just because it looks fun! Jesus, these girls have no real talent, think it’s a chance to have some fun, all because of their parents connections. The epitome of over privelaged. They can’t help it though, they were raised this way, to have everything given instead of earned.

    However, I do think Bella is more interesting than her sister for the most part, but suits high fashion better.

  12. detritus says:

    Her saying ‘I have a personality’ and then not even hinting as to how she does, is as bad as when our ex Prime Minister tried to appeal to the public by saying he liked ‘to watch tv shows and listen to music’.

  13. JustJen says:

    Noooo, not another model who wants to act. That’s how we got stuck with Cara in Suicide Squad!

  14. Jayna says:

    If she can’t emote as a model, one facial expression. I don’t see much hope for her as an actress

  15. lexx says:

    She doesn’t have a personality. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it allows people to project on to you, and it allows you to build and form whatever brand or narrative you want for yourself. One of the greatest examples of this, I think, is Beyonce. The girl is a robot, but it’s allowed her to weave and maintain this spectacular narrative.

  16. TheOtherOne says:

    I haven’t had my breakfast yet but in the second photo I thought she was Rihanna. Yikes.

  17. Suzie says:

    I don’t get why people moan about Gigi, Bella and Kendall all the time. We barely see Kendall, she doesn’t do many campaigns and hardly walked at the last fashion weeks. I see more articles about people complaining about her than I see her in fashion campaigns.
    If they’re given jobs it’s because they sell. Even Kylie Jenner has huge success and her lines sell out very quickly. That’s just a reality. My niece tells me all the girls in her high school love Kendall and Gigi. The fashion and beauty industry is a tough business, if you don’t sell they’re not going to invest in you.
    Plus they’re far from the only ones: Lilly-Rose Depp, Daniel Day Lewis’ son, Romeo Beckham, Jaden and Willow Smith, etc. And it’s like that in the movie industry and many other industries.

  18. BunnyBabe says:

    Did Paper recycle the pearl choker they styled Kim K with in the champagne over the head shoot?

  19. coffeeisgood says:

    She looks better with lighter hair. Her natural color is blonde/very light brown. The dark shade of brown washes her out.

  20. matahari says:

    I do not get this chicks appeal AT ALL