Bella Hadid admits to struggling with self-confidence, faking smiles at work: ‘I’m a skeleton’

Bella Hadid struggles with self-confidence, admitting she often fakes smiles at work.

Bella Hadid has a hard time looking in the mirror due to her struggles with self-confidence. The 28-year-old supermodel, who is considered the most scientifically beautiful woman on earth, gave her honest confession about body image issues. In a cover story interview with British Vogue, she admitted to covering up her true emotions by faking smiles at work. 

US model Bella Hadid arrives for the Opening Ceremony and the screening of the film "Partir un Jour" (Bye Bye) presented out of competition at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Sameer AL-DOUMY / AFP)(AFP)

Bella Hadid opens up on struggles with self-confidence and putting on an alter-ego at work

“Being a young girl in the world today, or a boy, or anybody, it’s hard to look in the mirror in the morning if you don’t feel confident,” Hadid told the outlet. “When you’re young you’re like: ‘I don’t like this, I don’t like that.’ But then you grow into your 20s and you find people who you love and you find your style,” she went on before admitting that this has not been the case with her. 

“I didn’t get that whole fluid thing going through,” Hadid revealed, before explaining that she moved out of her parents' house when she was “like 17, 18 years old” without fully “knowing or loving” herself. Given the nature of her career, she has had to “stare in the mirror every single day,” which took a toll on her. 

Cannes Film Festival 2025: Leonardo DiCaprio, Bella Hadid, Heidi Klum and more stars on opening night | Photos

Hadid noted that “just being a human being and having to look in the mirror every single day… does something to your self-confidence and to your soul.” At one point, she said, “I'm a skeleton.” “…because it’s like I have put on that alter ego for a very long time … It’s almost a mask because when I get home I am just a depletion.” 

The British Fashion's 2022 Model of the Year explained that she takes on a different personality at work, referring to her alter-ego as “Belinda.” “The girl who’s at work is Belinda. And then the minute that I get home, I’m on the couch, that’s just Bella again. Because Belinda just does her job. She slays. She can be crying from 5am to 7am but by the time she gets to work, a smile’s on her face and she’s going to do her job and get through it.”