“ I’ve always been someone that stands up for myself. ”
-Gigi Hadid
Gigi and Bella Hadid, born a year apart in Los Angeles, grew up in Malibu, California. The pair, born a year apart in Los Angeles, grew up in Malibu, California. Their mother Yolanda is also a model, author and reality TV star. Gigi’s first campaign was for Baby Guess when she was two years old, whereas as Bella began modeling aged 16 with a Flynn Skye commercial project. In 2016, Gigi was named International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council and Bella was voted by the industry as Model of the Year for model.com’s Model of the Year Awards in December 2016.
While Gigi has appeared on the runway for designers such as Versace, Chanel, Balmain and Isabel Marant including being an ambassador for Reebok, Bella has walked for Chanel, Givenchy, Tommy Hilfiger and Marc Jacobs and is an ambassador for Dior Beauty. Both girls took part in the latest Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Paris.
Gigi is currently dating former One Direction star Zayn Malik while Bella had a high profile split from Canadian singer The Weeknd in November 2016. Bella, along with her mother and brother, were diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012. In 2014, Gigi revealed she has Hashimoto’s disease.
In this compilation of quotes, Gigi and Bella talk about their special relationship, reveal their beauty secrets, give their thoughts on fame and social media, open up about their insecurities and more…
ON BEING SISTERS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY…
Gigi Hadid: My sister is my little star, and I’m excited for her and proud of her. With her, I’m protective, but also I don’t want to be that sister who’s really pushy and thinks they know everything and making her feel like she doesn’t know what she’s doing. I’m trying to be that cool older sister and not the mom, but it’s hard.
Bella Hadid: [Gigi] gives me advice sometimes but mostly she lets me do my thing and be myself. It’s nice to have a separation between us. We’ve always had little bickering with each other growing up, but it’s never been anything serious. People annoy you but it’s always important to forgive and forget. Literally we’ll argue about something so silly then 20 minutes later I’ll say ‘I like your hair’ and then she’ll laugh and we snap out of it.
ON FAME…
GH:
“Fame always shocks me. Stuff that you didn’t think happens except in movies.”
I tried for a long time to move away from certain things, like [extra] security, thinking my life would have a sense of normalcy that way. But I realised I’m not really in control of a lot of stuff. I think what people don’t realise is that there is still so much that goes on behind closed doors that people don’t know about. You just need to realise private is your new normal. And I think all my friends think that.
BH: I don’t walk down the street like, ‘I’m famous’. It’s still weird to me when people ask for pictures. My close friends from high school keep me grounded – they don’t care about what I do. I’m still the same person I was, and I try hard not to change.
ON MOM YOLANDA…
GH:
“My mom always said to develop how I thought about myself before I went into an industry where the whole world was going to judge me.”
You have to come back to yourself and be proud of yourself without anyone else’s approval.
BH: My mom is my emotional angel. She always makes me feel so much better. Just like any mother would. She’s just like: ‘Shoulders back, be confident and walk strong.’
ON SKINCARE…
GH: My mom always taught me to put toothpaste on pimples to dry them out at night. I do that all the time. I don’t use anything fancy when I get a pimple. And I never use the same toothpaste for long because I get bored. So I’ll do peppermint and then one month I’ll do cinnamon. I’m creative. I use St. Ives apricot scrub and Maybelline make-up wipes. Obviously keep your skin clean, but let it work with itself.
BH: I actually use the Dior Homme face wash and then the new Hydra Life moisturiser and masks; they’re so good.
ON WORKING OUT…
GH: I only box. It’s the only thing that keeps me sane. I can’t just go to the gym and run. I’d rather die. I played volleyball and rode horses my entire life so moving to a city and having to go to the gym was just like so weird for me. And boxing was the first thing where I felt like I wanted to go to the gym and get better at it and improve.
BH: I don’t like working out, [but] if you’re going to do it, go hard.
ON HAIR…
GH: I don’t wash my hair every day, which is what keeps it healthy because that way it doesn’t dry out. Being on the beach all the time gave me my original highlights, but I get some balayage highlights on top so then when it grows out you can’t tell it’s been coloured. It’s definitely LA, balayage. It’s a low-maintenance way to be blonde – way easier than having to go to the salon all the time. I only go every six months or so.
BH: I just have a darker personality. And my sister being blonde and me being brunette, it’s a good separation. I put a blonde wig on and think it would be fun to go back, but I’m happy with my hair. Blondes are so angelic. My sister can get away with anything.
ON MAKE-UP…
GH: My make-up artist likes to define my brows with Maybelline Brow Drama. We brush up on the part closest to my nose and it’s straight after that. Then, I like to use the matte brown shades from Maybelline The Nudes Palette to shadow my eyes, but without it looking like I’m wearing much.
BH: I kind of like to keep it very minimal. I get a lot of products sent to me, and I like to try them, but I end up just literally washing my face and putting on moisturiser and toner.
ON SOCIAL MEDIA…
GH: I’ve always been someone that stands up for myself. To the point where my publicist will say, ‘Sometimes it’s better to not say anything.’ And I’m like, ‘The limelight means you’re supposed to hide? And not stand your ground?’ That doesn’t make sense to me. What’s the point of social media if you’re only going to respond to things that make you look great; if you’re not willing to stand up for yourself, people take advantage of that.
BH: I love the people that follow me. I like to present the realest ‘me’ possible. If I’m working, I’ll post a photo of me working. But if I’m sitting home on a Saturday night watching TV and eating pizza, I’ll post that, too.
ON TAKING A GOOD SELFIE…
GH: Good lighting. Always be near a window if you’re inside. Natural light. And then when you’re outside, it’s always good to be in a sunny place but in the shade facing the light so you’re not overexposed.
ON WALKING THE RUNWAY…
GH: My first show people were already expecting a lot more from me [than I was capable of at the time]. I never was taught how to walk on the runway. And maybe that’s because it moved really quickly for me, that people just assumed that that was something I knew. I’m still learning. I’m working on it, but I’m human. I still get insecure on the runway, but it’s really exciting for me because I want to get better. I love being on the runway.
BH: Gisele [Bündchen] is my girl. I still to this day watch videos of her walking. She’s such an inspiration.
ON STYLE…
GH: I know this sounds weird, but I was into storyboarding when I was younger. I loved coming up with my own style through fashion blogs and magazines. But I’ve never liked trying things on. I don’t know why.
It was more about making mood boards. I’ve loved fashion my whole life, but more the imagery of it than actually wearing it.
BH: My whole life I’ve been pretty independent with my style, and my mom has been really giving when it comes to that. When I was super young I would paint my nails black and wear eyeliner and she let me do what I wanted to, which really shaped my style.
ON INSECURITIES…
GH: When I first went to visit different agencies in New York, a lot of them were like, ‘You have to lose a lot of weight.’ I would cry at night and my mom would be like, ‘We’re going to find the [right] people’. If you just embrace yourself other people accept you in the same way.
BH: I think every single person in the world has insecurities. It’s crazy because I think that when other people look at all of the VS [Victoria’s Secret] models or all of the girls [who] are walking, they’re like, ‘They’re not human. They don’t have any insecurities.’ But I think every single girl [who’s] going to be walking probably has an insecurity.
ON THE MEDIA ATTENTION OVER THEIR PRIVATE LIVES…GH: I try on a daily basis to just focus on what I have to do for that day, because when you put it into smaller groups then you realise, ‘Hey, this is work. This is family. This is my relationship.’ When you let the outside world trickle into everything else, that’s when it becomes a problem. So I just try to keep everything separate, and remember that when I walk into my apartment door [at the end of the day], it’s different . . . I’m not Gigi Hadid.
BH: You feel really overexposed and you don’t want to see anybody… I just want to be in my apartment alone and kind of retreat and be centred again. I think I’ve gotten more used to being around people. I used to get so nervous doing interviews. I’m a very sensitive person.
ON RELIGION…
BH:
“I am proud to be a Muslim. I come from a really diverse background. I’ve had incredible experiences all over the world… and I’ve learned that we’re all just people, and we all deserve respect and kindness.”
We shouldn’t treat people as if they don’t deserve kindness just because of their ethnicities. It’s just not right. And that message – to be compassionate whenever possible – that’s so important to me.
ON ACTING AMBITIONS…
GH: I think I’ll only do one or two movies in my life, so I want them to be good.
BH: I think it would be really fun, because it’s exciting to be in front of the camera on film instead of just pictures. I have so many goals, most of the time I like to keep them to myself, because I’m really superstitious.
ON LYME DISEASE…
GH: Not enough people know what Lyme disease is and the dangers of being bitten by an insect. So proud of my mamma and sissy for sharing their battle with Lyme disease to spread awareness.
BH: It’s hard for people to understand the invisible disability that owns our life especially behind the beautiful face that shines so bright on the covers of magazines. I know what it feels like to not want to get out of bed from bone pains and exhaustion and days on end of not wanting to socialise or be around people because the anxiety and brain fog just isn’t worth it.
ON BEING A FEMALE ROLE MODEL…
GH: I’m trying to be a role model and be honest so I’m just doing what makes me happy. The biggest thing for me isn’t about telling people how to eat and workout but for people to listen to their own bodies and figure out what makes them happy. I never listened to anyone else’s diet or workout routine growing up and that’s important to just do what’s good for you.
BH: I’m really proud to be a woman. I love that women can be feminine but also powerful.
ON CAREER…
GH: You always go to work trying to do your best but you have to remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes and it’s not the end of the world.
BH: I just aspire to be the best I can be. I want to work hard and set one goal at a time for myself.
INTERVIEW: JENNY DAVIS/HOTFEATURES
PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY
