Hadid: Beyond the Algorithm, a Lineage of Look
- Editorial Team
- Oct 9, 2024
- 2 min read
The first time I saw Gigi Hadid on a runway, I have to admit, I didn't get it. It was the usual whirlwind – models rushing past, a cacophony of flashbulbs, the pressure to scribble down some semblance of an opinion before the lights even went up for the next show. And there she was, this California blonde, all sun-kissed limbs and wide-eyed innocence. Pleasant enough, sure, but in that viper's nest of ambition, did she have the bite?
Of course, we all know the answer now. Gigi, along with Bella, transcended the label of "Instagirls" – a term that always felt reductive, tinged with a whiff of disdain from the old guard. They became forces, brands unto themselves, their faces plastered on billboards from Times Square to Tokyo. But it's too easy, too glib, to attribute their success solely to social media savvy. There's something else there, a certain something that goes beyond follower counts and perfectly curated feeds.
It's in the way they hold themselves, a certain awareness of their physicality. A legacy, perhaps, passed down from their mother, Yolanda, herself a former model who navigated the often-treacherous waters of that world. You see it in the arch of Bella's eyebrow, a flicker of defiance that recalls a young Gia Carangi. In Gigi's easy smile, there's a touch of Cindy Crawford's girl-next-door charm, albeit updated for the digital age.
And then there's the transformation. The chameleon-like ability to morph and adapt to the vision of each designer. One day, Gigi's a Versace goddess, all golden limbs and smoldering sensuality. The next, she's a gamine sprite for Chanel, all coltish energy and playful sophistication. Bella, with her porcelain features and piercing gaze, embodies a different kind of allure. She's a chameleon too, but her transformations are more dramatic, more about pushing boundaries. She can be ethereal one moment, darkly glamorous the next.
I remember a particularly chaotic show in Paris – the air thick with cigarette smoke and anticipation. The clothes were architectural, challenging, the kind that could drown a less confident model. But Bella? She owned it. She moved with a fierce grace, her body becoming an extension of the designer's imagination. It was electrifying to watch.
The Hadids, for all their outward privilege, haven't had it easy. The constant scrutiny, the relentless pressure, the snide whispers that follow any offspring of fame. They've faced criticism, both fair and unfounded, with a resilience that belies their years. And perhaps that's what ultimately sets them apart. It's not just the beauty, the lineage, the social media prowess – it's the steel beneath the surface. The understanding that in this business, you have to fight for your place, and you have to fight even harder to keep it.
So yes, the algorithm played its part. But to reduce the Hadids to mere products of their time is to miss the point entirely. They are savvy, yes, but they are also hardworking, ambitious, and undeniably talented. They are, in many ways, the embodiment of a new kind of supermodel – one that understands the power of image, the importance of self-promotion, but also the enduring allure of sheer, undeniable presence.
And that, in the end, is a look that transcends any algorithm.
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