The Real Reason Bella Hadid Doesn’t Smile in Photos Is Not What You Might Expect
She may be one of the biggest supermodels in the world, making the rest of us (and Kylie Jenner!) green with envy over everything from her on-point style to her runway-ready figure (courtesy of the world’s most unexpected diet), but Bella Hadid struggles with insecurities, just like the rest of us. In fact, it’s actually the reason why she so very rarely smiles in photos.
Speaking with The Guardian, the 20-year-old got real about self-confidence, revealing that her strong runway expressions and fierce photoshoot poses have become her go-to mainly because she feels awkward doing anything else. “I feel uncomfortable, sometimes, smiling in front of the camera,” she said candidly. “It actually took me until probably this year to really understand my face.”
The 2016 Model of the Year went on to say that her on-camera demeanor leads many fans and peers to be totally surprised when they interact with her for the first time. “People meet me sometimes and say: ‘You’re so different to what I expected. People always tell me I seem mean or intimidating on social media,” an assessment she says couldn’t be further from the truth. “I really love engaging with new people.”
Another misconception? How much time goes into curating her Instagram feed for her 14.4 million followers.“My Instagram is just like your Instagram,” Hadid told interviewer Hannah Marriott (call us crazy, but we’re slightly skept.) “If I look cute then my friends are going to take a photo, but it’s not contrived or planned.”
With Hadid clearly coming into her own and becoming more and more comfortable in her own gorgeous skin, here’s to hoping those future snaps include a lot more of the toothy grins pictured above!
What do you make of Bella’s confidence confession? Tweet us @BritandCo.
(h/t Teen Vogue; photos via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty)