Bella Hadid opens up on eating disorders and smoking addiction

American supermodel Bella Hadid has revealed that she wept “every day” and was stricken with eating disorders and chronic anxiety as a teen before she shot to fame as a model.

In an interview with i-D magazine, the 25-year-old opened up about her youth as she said that she was smoking heavily from the age of 14 and suffered body dysmorphia after she found success, reports aceshowbiz.com.

“Growing up, I thought it was normal that I had this chronic anxiety and this disassociation, crying every day and not knowing who I was,” Bella Hadid recalled.

“Whether it was eating disorders or smoking a pack of Marlboros since the age of 14, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is what all of the kids are doing’. I realised that maybe that was me trying to figure out why I felt that way. And in reality, all I needed was therapy.”

Hadid went on to talk about struggling with body dysmorphia in her early days as a model. “During that part of my life, I was so out of body, disassociating so much… I was so confused by what people saw of me,” the younger sister of model Gigi Hadid added.

Bella Hadid is now getting ready to make her acting debut in series ‘Ramy’, which tells of a first-generation American-Muslim is torn between his family’s traditional and modern American culture.

Bella Hadid said about revelling in her Palestinian heritage during the shooting.

“To go onto a set and see multiple Palestinians, Arabs, and people that are cut from the same cloth as me was really, really beautiful.”

She added about her belief speaking out for Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict with Israel previously costing her work. “A few companies won’t work with me anymore, and a few people may think I’m crazy. But that doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t compare to what Palestinians suffer on a daily basis.”

Earlier this year she admitted to regretting her decision to get a nose job at the age of 14. The beauty standards in the modelling industry have always been controversial for promoting unrealistic body types. Hadid, who has opened up about her anxiety and depression previously, speaks about her cosmetic surgery, and how she felt while being compared to her older sister Gigi Hadid.

Both Bella and Gigi have become big names in the fashion industry. The sisters have modelled for many big luxury brands like Chanel, Givenchy, Versace, Dior, Gucci, Saint Laurent, and more. They have also been on several magazine covers.

As exciting it may seem, being a fashion model comes with its own cons, and Bella Hadid has certainly faced them. During an interview with Vogue, Bella detailed her struggles with body image and mental health. She further admitted feeling “ugly” and “uncool” in comparison to Gigi Hadid. “People think I fully f*cked with my face because of one picture of me as a teenager looking puffy,” she said.

“I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors. I think I would have grown into it,” Bella added. She then went on to talk about being compared to Gigi Hadid. “I was the uglier sister. I was the brunette. I wasn’t as cool as Gigi, not as outgoing,” she said. “When you get told things so many times, you do just believe it. I always ask myself, how did a girl with incredible insecurities, anxiety, depression, body-image issues, eating issues, who hates to be touched, who has intense social anxiety – what was I doing getting into this business?” Bella continued.

While the fashion industry can be harsh, so can be the fans and netizens who reacted to Bella admitting to getting a nose job. People on Twitter are now criticising Hadid’s mother, Yolanda, for allowing the model to get nose surgery at such a young age.

In 2021, Scientists ‘measured’ that Bella is the most beautiful woman in the world. The 24-year-old was found to be 94.35 percent ‘accurate’ to the Golden Ratio of Beauty.

The list was compiled back in 2019 using computerized mapping techniques by Harley Street facial cosmetic surgeon Dr Julian De Silva, who utilises the technology in his work.

Bella’s eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, jaw and facial shape were measured and came closest to the Greeks’ idea of perfection.

Singer Beyoncé, 39, was second, coming in with a 92.44 percent match-up to those standards, while actress Amber Heard, 33, was third with 91.85 percent and pop star Ariana Grande, 26, was fourth with 91.81 percent.

De Silva said Bella Hadid holds the crown for the most beautiful woman in the world.