In an interview with WSJ. Magazine published on Monday (January 17th), supermodel Bella Hadid spoke candidly about her mental health issues, describing them as “excruciating and debilitating.”
In November 2021, Hadid posted a collection of selfies which showed her crying. “I would have really depressive episodes and my mom or my doctor would ask how I was and instead of having to respond in text, I would just send them a photo. It was the easiest thing for me to do at the time because I was never able to explain how I was feeling,” Hadid said.
She added that sharing these photos on social media was liberating: “Even though on Instagram things look so beautiful, at the end of the day, we are all cut from the same cloth. I felt like it was just good for me to be able to speak my truth and at some point I wasn't able to post nice pretty pictures anymore. I was over it.”
Since others reached out to say that they felt the same way, Hadid said that posting these photos also made her feel less lonely. “I don't know if that's not what people want on Instagram, and that's fine. I don't have to be on Instagram forever. I feel like real is the new real, and that's what's important to me,” she said.