Hey guys, I'm Farrah! I've lived in Hollywood for the last two years, and I've gradually noticed insecurities about my appearance that never used to bother me before. So I decided to take a few cues from the stunning supermodel/Instagram rockstar, Gigi Hadid, to see if I could channel her confidence!
For those of you who don't know, Gigi Hadid has appeared on covers like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and she's walked the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. OH — and she has a gorgeous BF, Zayn Malik (formerly of One Direction). WHAT A LIFE.
Because I find myself picking apart the things I dislike about myself more often than I'd like to admit, I decided to replicate Gigi's Instagram photos that would most likely push me out of my comfort zone. Here's how it went:
1. The "Fresh Outta The Shower Except Not Really" Pose
I thought this would be the easiest Instagram image to recreate because it APPEARS Gigi has just stepped out of the shower and thrown on a robe, but that is incorrect. Upon closer inspection, I saw she had on a FULL FACE of makeup. The look took me a solid half hour to replicate. However, her effortlessly tilted head and damp hair took me many tries to get right. Mostly because my hair kept falling in my face and getting in the way because — you know — gravity. It also took forever to capture my face looking natural and chill and not, like, awkward. Overall, it took a little over an hour to take what I thought would be a very simple picture. I was also shocked at the number of compliments I got, since this isn't a picture I'd normally Instagram.
This "natural" look took a TON of makeup to recreate, but I was shocked at how many compliments I received — especially since this isn't a picture I'd normally Instagram.
2. The "Vintage Glam What Are We Laughing At?" Ad
I had my co-worker take/art direct this next picture, and I was very thankful I didn’t have to mess with my hair this time. I did, however, have to wear the paddiest push-up bra I own because mama’s A cups needed some serious help. It took roughly 80 tries to get this pic. My poor co-worker kept telling me to “laugh! But look natural! But also squint your eyes a lot” and it WAS HARD. I also had to squish my shoulders in to get my clavicle to show, which felt unnatural and uncomfortable. I honestly don't know how Gigi makes it look so easy, because it is not.
And surprisingly, Instagram commenters liked it. Maybe because it does seem like I'm genuinely laughing? Also, I was CAUGHT by one of my other co-workers who was quick to realize what I was doing.
3. The "Yeah, This Is What #CouplesGoals Look Like" Pose
This photo is SO EXTRA, but honestly I don’t blame Gigi because both her and Zayn somehow managed to make an impossible position look super cute. Anyway, it’s a good thing I don’t have a boyfriend who could recreate this with me because I would have crushed his skull with my head. I fell SO MANY times trying to get into her position despite having a ton of help from my co-workers. I felt way too exposed in this photo, and when I posted it NOBODY REALLY SAID ANYTHING. Probably because it looks like I'm practicing for a keg stand?? I don’t understand how Gigi did this and made it look so goddamn easy breezy, but I dare anyone who believes modeling is easy to give this a try.
Here's some outtakes of me falling on my face:
4. The "I'm Looking Casually Regal For A Very Respected Magazine" Pose
This photo is so ~high fashion and vogue~ that I wasn’t sure how I’d look trying to recreate it. I really hate profile shots of myself, so I was not looking forward to this picture in particular. Her pose wasn’t as hard as, I don’t know, DOING A HEADSTAND, but it was a little difficult trying to make the finger-in-the-mouth situation look natural. I don’t have Gigi’s Disney princess nose or strong jawline, but I also didn’t hate how the photo turned out overall.
Also, because this isn't my normal Instagram aesthetic, my mom texted me asking what, exactly, I was doing. (She was also very eager to show me her new bed sheets).
5. The "Super Easygoing Good Morning Stretch" Pose
I didn’t think I was going to nail the pose but luckily my co-worker ended up art directing me, which made it about 2% easier. One thing Gigi and I have in common is that we have a ton of dark freckles all over our bodies, yet the beauty industry basically says “nah, photoshop it out.” In a lot of her other photos, you can prominently see them on her stomach, but they look like they’ve been somewhat ‘shopped out in this image. I didn't alter mine, and if anyone noticed they didn’t have anything to say about it. Also, re-creating this look made my arms really tired, and I kept having to take breaks. DON'T JUDGE ME. When it came to posting this pic, I was pretty self-conscious. So I did it at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night when I thought everyone would be out and about doing other things. But, overall, it turned out fine.
6. The "Front Face Glamour Shot Also WTF Is On Our Eyelids" Pose
I generally avoid up close photos of myself since — as previously noted — I tend to nit pick every flaw I see. My co-worker took this photo for me in an empty conference room, and it was really hard to make my face look natural and relaxed like Gigi's. I also used the wrong hand to pose, but you get the idea. It was a struggle to replicate her carefree, confident fish gape, but after trying to loosen my jaw and mouth I think I got fairly close. Since I had no idea WTF kind of makeup magic was on her eyes, I ended up making my own out with a gold gel pen, a Sharpie, and Post-It notes. WHATEVER, work with whatcha got. Since this was the end of the experiment, I noticed I'd gradually started to care less and less what people would think when I posted each recreation, which seemed a little bit like a win.
Things I Learned:
- MODELING IS VERY HARD
- My insecurities didn't suddenly vanish after doing this
- But doing this DID succeed in pushing me out of my comfort zone
- Creating a ~Vogue~ look requires a lot of filters
- And creating a ~flawless~ look took literally hundreds of tries
- You never know what's Photoshopped and what isn't
- Gigi is gorgeous
- I wish Zayn was my boyfriend
- I'm ready to go back to my average old self online