Just like almost all little girls love playing dress up in bridal dresses so that they can imagine their dream wedding, so do many little girls also dream of one day becoming fashion models. They dress up their Barbie dolls in different outfits and play dress up themselves in their mommy’s clothes and start strutting their stuff around the house. Of course, not everyone grows up to have the physical make-up that is required by society to be a model. You have to be giraffe-tall with legs for days. You have to be reed-thin. And most of all, you have to have that unique, stand-out look about you and be able to walk with confidence down a runway.
Confidence. You’d think that models, who are placed on a pedestal and regarded as goddesses, would be oozing with it. But you’d be surprised to know that models themselves have claimed that women in their industry are some of the most insecure people on the planet. It’s probably something to do with social pressure, which is one of the struggles all celebrities have to face. You’re pressured to look fantastic at all times of the day, whether it’s the moment you wake up or when you’re in the can doing number two. How tough is it to live with those kinds of expectations? Here are some of the world’s most famous and most successful models, admitting their biggest insecurities.
15 Caitriona Balfe
It’s rare that a supermodel ventures out of her modeling career and leaps into a whole different world altogether, but Irish supermodel Caitriona Balfe was one of those who experienced that stroke of luck. Although the statuesque beauty gained acclaim as a model for some of the biggest fashion houses in the world, as well as holding the distinction of being the first Irish model to have become a Victoria’s Secret Angel, she is now more known for her venture into the acting industry. Balfe plays Claire Fraser, the beloved protagonist of the TV series Outlander. Balfe claims she has always wanted to go into acting and that modeling wasn’t her true passion. She has said that modeling helped pave the way for the sexy scenes she’s had to do on Outlander, but that she has a lot of insecurities about baring her body on TV, saying her body now isn’t the way it was when she was 26 and at the peak of her modeling career.
14 Nina Agdal
Nina Agdal has appeared in Sports Illustrated and has modeled for Billabong and Victoria’s Secret. That is no mean feat for a supermodel at the young age of 24. These days, though, she has been in the public eye for reasons outside her modeling career. Since May 2016, she has been dating Leonardo DiCaprio, who is famously known for dating supermodels and supermodels only—and it looks like Agdal is his latest conquest. That's a pretty successful list if you ask me. For all her beauty and accomplishments, however, the Danish model has attested to the fact that she has battled with a lot of confidence issues. She has had to adhere to the pressures of being a swimsuit and lingerie model by enduring people constantly telling her to lose weight or tone certain parts of her body. She has found these comments very hurtful because she was already quite skinny, to begin with.
13 Behati Prinsloo
With such a unique and exotic name like Behati Prinsloo, you can only imagine the fascinating person behind the name. Indeed, the Namibian-born supermodel is an absolute knockout, as proven by the fact that she was discovered at the young age of 16 by the same agent who discovered Kate Moss. Initially, Prinsloo said she wasn’t really looking to get into modeling, but rather, she hoped to become a flight attendant. But she decided to pursue modeling and hasn’t looked back since. She has walked the runway for big brands like Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Alexander McQueen, but she’s perhaps best known as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. Despite her seemingly flawless physical appearance, Prinsloo, who’s now expecting a daughter with husband Adam Levine, says that she sometimes gets weighed down by insecurities. Her confidence takes a hit when she doesn’t get a job that she wants because she feels like she’s being judged or she’s not beautiful enough.
12 Anne Vyalitsyna (or Anne V)
Adam Levine obviously has a penchant for models because before he dated and married Behati Prinsloo, he was dating Russian model Anne Vyalitsyna or otherwise known in North America as Anne V. The initialed last name was beneficial to the leggy model since her full last name is quite a mouthful to pronounce. She started modeling at 15 after she was discovered in St. Petersburg and she eventually moved to New York to pursue modeling as a profession. She’s best known for appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for 10 consecutive years, which is an accomplishment for any model. Like many supermodels, she was a Victoria’s Secret Angel for around three years. The attractive blonde, who also dated Calvin Harris, once said that she gets plagued by insecurities too. She said she never thought she was pretty and since she was the tallest and most awkward-looking kid in her class, none of the boys liked her. Among her physical flaws that she doesn’t like, she finds herself too pale, she doesn’t like her freckles, and she wishes she could eat and eat without having to gain weight.
11 Heidi Klum
She’s one of the few models who have branched out beyond modeling and have found success in other fields besides the catwalk. She’s barely ancient at the age of 43, but let’s face it, Heidi Klum may no longer have youth on her side, compared to younger, sexier models who are currently strutting the runways. But the German-born model has nothing to feel bad about, as she has accomplished so much in her career. For one, she became the first German model to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel. And two, how many models can claim to have been nominated for six Emmy Awards and won one? Klum won an Emmy as Outstanding Host for a Reality Program for her work on the reality show Project Runway. The mother of four claims that some of the insecurities she’s battled with include her thighs, butt, arms, and most especially a muffin top, which she says is always her biggest worry when it comes to her physical flaws.
10 Lily Aldridge
She’s one of the many models who form part of Taylor Swift’s so-called "squad" of beauties. Lily Aldrige started modeling at the tender age of 16, for Abercrombie and Fitch. She also did some modeling work for the Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, and Levi’s. She made her Victoria’s Secret debut as an Angel in 2010 and has been an endorser of the Fireworks Fantasy Bra, which has an estimated value of $2 million. It’s hard to believe that this lithe beauty is also a mom: she married Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill in 2011 and gave birth to their daughter a year later. Yes, she may seem fierce, as she’s a member of Swift’s elite squad, but she’s got her share of insecurities too. Aldridge says that she has had to battle many insecurities about her body, especially as an underwear model, but that the most important factor in overcoming these insecurities is being around fellow model friends who support each other throughout their careers.
9 Miranda Kerr
It’s pretty hard to believe that Miranda Kerr once said that models are some of the most insecure people she’s ever met. But since she’s a model herself, who are we to think otherwise? The statuesque Australian beauty started out her modeling career in her native country, where she modeled for local brand Billabong, after which she moved to New York to further pursue other modeling gigs. She modeled for some of the world’s biggest brands and became the official endorser for cosmetic brand Maybelline New York, which eventually led to her stint as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, replacing fellow supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Her trademark dimples and of course, beautiful body have made her one of the most famous models in the world. The former Mrs. Orlando Bloom has stated that models face a lot of insecurities when they get rejected for projects and told they’re not good enough. She says she’s had to give herself large doses of confidence boosters to be able to succeed in the industry.
8 Cindy Crawford
She has seemingly defied age because at 50 years old, she doesn’t look like she has a teenage daughter who could pass for her sister. Cindy Crawford’s 30 years in the modeling industry have made her an international celebrity, which led to some film and TV roles, no matter how few and far between. But more than anything, she’s a spokesperson, a wife, and a mother to two beautiful children. Back in her heyday in the ‘90s, she was once the highest-paid model in the world and is considered one of the five original Supermodels. Today, she still does some print modeling every so often because she looks amazing for her age. But like all women, Crawford has admitted to having many insecurities. She said she always struggled with her body image because she has those bad days when she wakes up to discover that nothing fits, likely due to bloating. She has since decided to accept her body’s changes that inevitably come with age.
7 Naomi Campbell
While it’s true that Naomi Campbell is notorious for her diva attitude and her public temperamental fits, no one can deny the fact that she has accomplished a lot in her career as one of the original Supermodels. The British model started her career at 15 and a year later, she had already appeared on the cover of British Elle magazine. She has graced catwalks all over the world for the biggest fashion houses and her success has not been deterred by her infamous bad attitude. She was convicted of assault on four separate occasions and has been accused of committing acts of violence multiple times, but despite all of this, Campbell is still more known for her positive contributions to the fashion world. Despite her bravado, she still goes through moments of insecurity, particularly when she walked the runway for the first time in 14 years for Versace’s show in 2013. When she stepped out, the room went deathly quiet, which led her to believe that the crowd didn’t want her. Of course, her fears were assuaged moments later when everyone burst into applause.
6 Bar Refaeli
She is not just one of the many supermodels that Leonardo DiCaprio has dated. Bar Refaeli has made a name for herself as the highest-paid model in Israel, where she hails from, and she has branched out from modeling to other endeavors, like television hosting, acting, and entrepreneurship. She has been the face of ad campaigns for huge brands like Chanel, Escada, and Subaru and has graced the covers of major fashion magazines such as Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, and Cosmopolitan. Since 2013, she has been the host of The X Factor Israel. Before she dated DiCaprio for four years, she briefly dated Baywatch actor David Charvet. Today, she’s married to an Israeli businessman and confirmed that she was pregnant in December 2015. Like any girl, Refaeli said that there are days she looks in the mirror and feels ugly because of bad hair or dark circles under her eyes.
5 Gisele Bundchen
It’s those who failed or who were told that they would fail that usually rise up from the ashes and make it big and Gisele Bundchen is no exception to this. She’s a sixth generation Brazilian of German descent, which accounts for her last name sounding more German than Brazilian, but she’s a true blue Brazilian for sure. Bundchen was a Victoria’s Secret Angel for seven years before retiring her wings to concentrate on other endeavors like producing and her philanthropic work. She still does some print modeling every so often, though she doesn’t really need the money, being considered the highest paid supermodel in the world for a time. When she was just starting out in the modeling industry, she was told that her nose was too big and her eyes were too small. In short, people told her she didn’t have it in her to be a model. Obviously, she has defied the odds by leaps and bounds.
4 Gigi Hadid
She seems to be all over the news nowadays, sometimes for her personal life more than her professional accomplishments. American fashion model and TV personality Gigi Hadid is arguably today’s “it” girl, as she’s constantly being photographed and is one of the most followed people on social media. The 21-year-old stunner was actually born with a silver spoon in her mouth and was even part of the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills via her mother, Yolanda Hadid. But the young Hadid has carved a name for herself as a model and brand ambassador for Maybelline. She has walked the runway for the fashion lines of brands such as Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Michael Kors, and Max Mara. Her personal life is also constantly splashed in the media, from her relationship with singer Zayn Malik to her being a member of Taylor Swift’s squad. Of insecurities, Hadid has had to endure haters calling her fat. Even her own mother wouldn’t let her eat cake because her thighs were presumably “too big.” Since she’s not stick thin, she was constantly told by agencies to lose weight, which affected her self-confidence to no end.
3 Kendall Jenner
It’s difficult growing up in the spotlight and Kendall Jenner had cameras intrusively thrust into her everyday life at a very young age, no thanks to her family’s reality TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She was always a beautiful child, having inherited her father’s height and lithe figure and her mother’s Armenian looks. But like all teenagers, she went through a phase of having to deal with a bad case of acne. Jenner has said that bad skin was her biggest insecurity growing up, to the point that she couldn’t look people in the eye when talking to them for fear of being mocked. But thanks to growing up and the best dermatologists money could pay for, her skin eventually cleared up and she has gone on to become one of today’s most sought-after fashion models. She walked the Victoria’s Secret fashion show for the first time in 2015 and her star is shining brighter than ever.
2 Karlie Kloss
Being considered a fashion model, let alone one of the top 30 models of the 2000s is no mean feat. Karlie Kloss became a Victoria’s Secret model at the young age of 21, which is an accomplishment in itself, by fashion standards. She’s considered to have that classic look about her, which is why she’s touted to be relevant beauty-wise for a long time to come. Kloss has appeared in ads of Donna Karan, Nina Ricci, Chloe, and Lacoste, among many others. Aside from her modeling, she’s also known to be one of Taylor Swift’s best friends and is part of the singer’s infamous squad. Kloss has had to battle with confidence issues, which is a huge challenge in her industry. She was once an awkward teenager who was all limbs and she once tripped on the Fendi runway in 2010. While these experiences initially fed into her insecurities, she was able to rise above them eventually.
1 Cara Delevingne
Like Caitriona Balfe, Cara Delevingne was determined to branch out of modeling and venture into acting. The English model started out in the industry at the tender age of 10, in an editorial shot for Vogue Italy. Wow that's a young age! It was her appearance in the Burberry spring/summer 2011 campaign that eventually catapulted her to popularity in the fashion world. With her distinctive thick eyebrows, Delevingne was unique in the best of ways. But she was not content to remain a model. She made her film debut in the 2012 film adaptation of Anna Karenina, which starred Keira Knightley. She also appeared in the thriller The Face of an Angel, wherein she was commended for her acting and she can also be seen in the DC superhero film Suicide Squad. As far as insecurities, she said she wished she was curvier since she is pretty much reed-like in terms of body structure.
Sources: huffingtonpost.com, dailymail.co.uk, eonline.com, people.com, harpersbazaar.com.au
