There’s no question that supermodel Gigi Hadid has earned her spot as one of today’s highest grossing supermodels in the industry. The 23-year-old got her start in the industry at just 2-years-old but put her career on pause to focus on school. Upon finishing school, the older sister of fellow model Bella Hadid made her return to the industry in 2011 and has been ripping the runways ever since. As one of today’s highest paid models in the world, Hadid has built a substantial career and life for herself despite her young age. In spite of Gigi making a name for herself all on her own, as reported by E! , in the July 2018 issue of Vogue Australia , Gigi is opening up about her “big guilt” coming from privilege.
“I know I come from privilege, so when I started there was this big guilt of privilege, obviously,” she told the magazine. “I’ve always had this big work ethic because my parents came from nothing and I worked hard to honor them.”
Gigi’s father, Mohamed Hadid, made his fortune in real estate development while her mother, Yolanda Hadid, gained fame and fortune through her own modeling career as well as through her time on the hit reality television show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. After her parents divorced, Gigi’s mom married Grammy-winning music producer David Foster. Yolanda eventually filed for divorce from the music man in 2015.
Gigi hadid on the cover of Vogue Australia July 2018 issue. Photographed by Giampaolo Sgura pic.twitter.com/Cjl49qJFqE
— Gigi Hadid Source? (@MyqueengigiIG) June 18, 2018
In the past, Gigi’s mother, Yolanda, has talked candidly about her humble beginnings and views on money.
“I was very money-driven,” Yolanda once said. “I come from a very poor family and my dad died when I was seven, I took on this huge responsibility that I was going to provide for my mother and my brother. It wasn’t that I had the dream of being a model. I never wore makeup. I didn’t even know what Vogue or Cosmo or Elle was because it wasn’t part of my life.”
As a result of hearing about her mother’s humble start and having to provide for her family, Gigi understands other models may be in a similar situation.
“There are so many girls who come [from] all over the world and work their asses off and send money home to their families like my mother did, and I wanted to stand next to them backstage and for them to look at me and respect me and to know that it’s never about me trying to overshadow or take their place. So when I started out I wanted to prove myself so badly that sometimes I would overwork myself.”
Gigi’s hard work has definitely paid off and despite being a top model in the industry, she continues to work hard to up her game anyway she can.
“You know that people say I shouldn’t be on the runway? I’ve got a lot better at dealing with that and wanting to better myself,” she said. “That’s my motivation.”