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Linda Evangelista Now: How the Supermodel Learned to Love Herself After "Career-Ending Disfigurement"
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Linda Evangelista Now: How the Supermodel Learned to Love Herself After "Career-Ending Disfigurement"

Linda Evangelista has one of the most recognizable faces (and bodies) in the world!She has graced the covers of over 700 magazines. The 'fashion's great actress' model, praised for her Sofia Loren-esque looks, may be just as famous for this single line she quipped:"We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day."- Linda Evangelista, VOGUE (1990)The wildly successful 90s supermodel was contemporaries with industry legends like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Christy Turlington.Along with Linda Evangelist, the group became famous as the "original 90s supermodels" aka The "Big Five."While every model has their signature "look" (see: Cindy Crawford's iconic Pepsi commercial), Linda Evangelista continued to reinvent herself.She was notorious for pushing the envelope, trying her hand at new aesthetics, and dramatically altering her haircut and colour from one day to the next. She could be anyone from coquettish ingenue to androgynous biker in less than a day."I change all the time, that’s why I am interesting." Evangelista, MacleansWhile it might be easy to be dismissive of "models" – do not confuse the old-school originals with the "influencers" of today. Evangelista wasn't snapping iphone photos of herself in drop-shipped bikinis in her backyard, or using AI apps to enhance her body and beauty. No, Linda Evangelista was from a time when high fashion and the models who would sport couture, were still "art".When America still had a shred of European sensibility, or at least the desire too moonlight as such. As a result, Evangelista was devoted to pushing the boundaries of her bodily form – it was the canvas she was given to collaborate. And Evangelista's ability to transform her look for the camera earned her the nickname “the chameleon".Only, like the myth of Icarus who flew too close to the sun, Evangelista took her transformations too far. She Lived in Hiding For Over 5 Years: The Toll of a Cosmetic Procedure Gone WrongBefore Linda Evangelista broke her silence in 2022, she had been living in hiding for over five years.Yes, the 5' 10" supermodel who once ruled the catwalk, was so ashamed of her "botched" cosmetic surgery, she hid from the public eye for half a decade.In an exclusive tell-all interview with PEOPLE in late 2022, Evangelista broke down in tears, sharing the living nightmare that was her CoolSculpting surgery."I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know. I can't live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn't live in this pain any longer. I'm willing to finally speak."Linda Evangelista, PeopleThe "Non-Invasive" Surgery Took Everything From HerWhen Evangelista decided to do her first CoolSculpting procedure in 2015, she ended up with a completely different body transformation than the one she was sold.Zeltiq Aesthetic's CoolSculpting is a popular FDA-cleared "fat-freezing" procedure that's promoted as a "non-invasive" alternative to liposuction.Linda Evangelista now looks back on her choice to move forward with the CoolSculpting procedure as one of he worst decisions she's ever made.From August 2015 to Feburary 2016, Evangelista underwent 7 CoolSculpting procedures which left the model "brutally disfigured" and "permanently deformed."In a heart felt Instagram post, Evangelista shared her cosmetic procedure nightmare with her fans.She Couldn't Walk Without Being in Pain: Linda Evangelista's Battle to Reclaim Her LifeAhead of her "non-invasive" procedure, Evangelista says she was not warned of the potential CoolSculpting side effects."Side effects", that would go on to damage the model's career and subsequently self-esteem that was paramount to her power in her career (more on "confidence" below).When Linda Evangelista noticed hard, lumpy bumps appear on her inner thighs, she didn't think much of it at first.Maybe it was just a temporary bad reaction that would subside in a few days? She couldn't have been more wrong. Those hard, bulbous lumps on her legs? Evangelista was experiencing an irreversible CoolSculpting side effect gone wrong, otherwise known as Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH).According to a 2018 editorial published in Science Daily, PAH is estimated to occur in 1 out of every 4,000 treatment cycles. Evangelista was one of the unlucky ones.After several attempts at "corrective surgeries," the PAH proved untreatable. It was then Evangelista went into hiding.@lindaevangelissta / instagram"The bulges are protrusions. And they're hard. If I walk without a girdle in a dress, I will have chafing to the point of almost bleeding. Because it's not like soft fat rubbing, it's like hard fat rubbing." She says her posture has also been affected because she can no longer "put my arms flat along my side. I don't think designers are going to want to dress me with that" — she pulls down her shirt and shows the rectangular shape of PAH protruding from under her arm — "sticking out of my body."- Linda Evangelista, PEOPLEA Tale of Courage and Transformation: The $50 Million Dollar Lawsuit That Changed The NarrativeAfter several years in hiding, Evangelista decided she was done staying silent.Following Evangelista's instagram post sharing her painful recovery and healing journey, she filed a lawsuit in September of 2012.The former Supermodel sued CoolSculpting's parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., for $50 million in damages.Evangelista alleges since her disfigurement and failed corrective surgeries, she's been unable to continue working as a model. In July of 2022, Linda Evangelista won her CoolSculpting Lawsuit. She took to Instagram to thank her followers and peers for their endless support.Her Fight for Self-Acceptance: There Was No Turning Back, She Could Only Move ForwardIt's not just a myth to say "confidence" is sexy. In fact, I am of the belief that 90% of a model's superpower is in her "walk". And if you think anyone can walk like a model, think again. Kendall Jenner's been modeling for years, and her "walk" is criticized constantly. You can buy a new nose, but you can't buy a new walk. That's all you. Because a model's walk? It's the pure confidence she's born with.This video of Naomi Campbell walking for DSquared in 2003, sends shivers down my spine. Even though, yes, her figure is *out of this world* – that's not what makes her presence so powerful. (It's not even her gorgeous face, hidden behind massive aviator sunnies).I've watched this video countless times and I'm certain what makes Naomi Campbell a living legend can be studied in the horsepower of her walk. Campbell quite literally owns the runway. She takes up all the space. She doesn't just have confidence, she is confidence. That is the X-Factor of the model. RELATED: At 57, Cindy Crawford Takes Back Her Throne: From Supermodel to Supermom & BackSo for someone like Linda Evangelista to lose her confidence?? That's like a painter getting his hand chopped off! It really is that, debilitating. Why It's So Brave for Linda Evangelista To Share Her StoryAnd ultimately, it doesn't matter if modeling isn't a profession you would choose for yourself. I'm sure Evangelista has no desire to be a dental hygienist but can rally behind the downsides of contracting carpal tunnel at an early age! So, if you think modeling is vapid (and easy) and Evangelista has nothing to cry about--then I urge you to reconsider!I get it. It's hard to empathize with someone who's life is so far from our own understanding. Sure. Most of us cannot relate to what it's like to be christened as 1 of the 5 hottest women in the world, but we do all know what it's like to feel the pressure to fit in.At one point or another in our lives, we've all felt we were behind the eight ball. As though we were failing to meet the insane demands and always-changing standards put on us (in work, love, or otherwise)! Even one of the most famous models in the world felt pressure, from the industry she grew up in, to maintain a certain image!Which is why Linda Evangelista sharing her story is so important. For a Supermodel – whose job is being gorgeous – to share her struggle with aging and her self-acceptance journey helps reminds us we're not the only ones.Emotional pain comes in all different shapes and sizes. Yes, we may all be in different "fields", but career pressure is real. We may not all share the Supermodel's struggles but at the end of the day, we're not all that different.No matter what age you are, size you wear, or job you work--we all feel the same pressure to fit in. And for Linda Evangelista to come out and share her story? I don't care what anyone else says, that's brave.A world-class model admitting to undergoing surgery, is like an olympian admitting to taking performance enhancing drugs. It's shameful to admit, liberating when you do (?), and absolutely does not discredit all the very real hard work you put in to even qualify as one of the best in the world.So snaps for Linda Evangelista. Who may not feel she compares to the woman she once was, but as far as the rest of us are concerned, still totally serves face in this most recent VOGUE reunion cover (2023).It looks like whatever she's been putting into working on her confidence she's getting back in spades. MORE FROM GOALCAST:At 57, Cindy Crawford Takes Back Her Throne: From Supermodel to Supermom & BackParents Abandon Their Baby at an Orphanage Doorstep – After Vowing to Prove Them Wrong, She Now Models for VogueBrooke Shields Reveals The Horrors Of Her Child Modeling Days— And How She Thrived and Overcame

Poor Bread Seller Accidentally Photobombs Celebrity Shoot And Lands Modeling Career
Uplifting News

Poor Bread Seller Accidentally Photobombs Celebrity Shoot And Lands Modeling Career

For Olajumoke Orisaguna, life was a challenge. She had to leave her husband and village to earn money for her two young children, but it turned out the move to the big city was worthwhile — and we're not talking about her work as a bread seller.Spellbound by a bread sellerBritish rapper Tinie Tempah was in Nigeria doing a photoshoot on the street with photographer Ty Bello when something incredible happened. During the shoot, a bread seller found herself in the photograph and the photographer was spellbound."The moment didn't look special at all," Bello wrote on Instagram, according to Huffington Post. "If anything she stood there a little confused."Some people asking her to leave the set and others asking her to stay. I signaled [to ask] if it was ok to take her photograph and she agreed, and I pressed on my shutter so she could move ahead."I was wrong to have paid her such little attention. Every frame with her in it was perfect."Ty BelloA beauty with perserverance"Who is she?" Bello wrote on Instagram. "Everyone has been asking if this lady is a model... It was a perfect coincidence... She just happened to be walking by while I photographed. It happened so fast."Finding her proved a challenge, but someone managed to track her down.It turned out that the woman in the photograph was Olajumoke Orisaguna, a 27-year-old mother, wife and hair stylist from Ire in Osun state. Orisaguna wasn't making enough money in her village so, upon the invitation of a distant relative to work at a bakery, she moved to Lagos to earn money for her family as a bread seller."As I listened to her I wondered if the beauty I had seen on my screen as I edited my image was a fluke... well until she smiled. I realised that I was wrong. I had in fact, underestimated the beauty of this 27-year-old woman," Bello wrote on Instagram.It turned out that Orisaguna was born to be a model, and lit up the frame with her radiance."As always it was her eyes and of course her perfectly chiseled features that jumped out at you when she chuckled. This lady belonged in front of my camera," Bello said.A true naturalSo Bello photographed the woman and her photos ended up on the cover a Nigerian magazine called This Day in Style."She stepped in front of my camera and I almost couldn't recognise her," Bello said of the shoot. "She moved different too. Jumoke looked straight into my lens emoting like she had done this all her life."I knew we had found a star."Ty BelloGood things happen to good peopleThe story of Orisaguna's discovery was as incredible as it was unlikely — what are the chances that a photographer would be shooting in the street and have that much faith in your stardom? But sometimes Hollywood level discoveries like this happen in real life, proving that sometimes, the most amazing things can happen when you least expect them.More uplifting stories:4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First HousePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others

Abandoned By Parents, She Vows To Prove Them Wrong - Today, She Models For Vogue
Uplifting News

Abandoned By Parents, She Vows To Prove Them Wrong - Today, She Models For Vogue

Xueli Abbing was left abandoned outside of an orphanage when she was a baby, her birth parents disappearing without a trace. Today, the 16-year-old has become a star model with an ambitious dream — she wants to change the world.Perfectly imperfectFor over three decades, thousands of babies in China were abandoned by their birth parents due to the country's one-child policy — Xueli Abbing was one of them. Named 'Xue' meaning snow and 'Li' for beautiful by staff at the orphanage, Abbing was born with albinism, a genetic disorder that causes a reduced amount of pigment melanin — or no melanin at all — and can result in pale skin, hair, and eyes.Despite the hardships she faced from a young age, Abbing was adopted by a family in the Netherlands when she was three. At age 11, she was invited by a Hong Kong designer to model for a photoshoot that aimed to portray different forms of beauty."She called the campaign 'perfect imperfections' and asked if I wanted to join her fashion show in Hong Kong," Abbing told the BBC. "That was an amazing experience."Orphan to star modelPeople with albinism can face severe discrimination across the world. Some are even hunted and killed for the false belief that their bones can be used for medicine. "I'm lucky I was only abandoned," Abbing said.Models with albinism also face stereotypes and are often depicted as angels or ghosts in photoshoots and campaigns. "Especially because it perpetuates those beliefs that endanger the lives of children with albinism in countries such as Tanzania and Malawi," Abbing told the BBC. "It makes me sad."But Abbing managed to find a photographer in London who was respectful, and the photos were so incredible that one was sold to Vogue Italia for its June 2019 issue."At the time, I didn't know what an important magazine it was and it took me a while to realize why people got so excited about it," she said.A beacon of change in modelingPhotoshoots are particularly difficult for Abbing, who only has 8 to 10% vision and can't look directly at flashes as it hurts her eyes. But she models anyway, as she likes being able to show a different kind of beauty than typically shown."There are still models who are like eight foot two and skinny but now people with disabilities or differences are featured more in the media and this is great - but it should be normal," she told the BBC.She also manages to find a silver lining in her lack of sight. "Maybe because I cannot see everything properly I focus more on people's voices and what they have to say," she said. "So their inner beauty is more important to me."She wants to change the worldEven though she is still a teenager, Abbing is wise beyond her years. She wants to use her platform to show others that her health condition cannot stop her."I want to use modeling to talk about albinism and say it's a genetic disorder, it's not a curse," she said to the BBC. "The way to talk about it is to say 'a person with albinism' because being 'an albino' sounds as if it defines who you are.""I'm not going to accept that children are being murdered because of their albinism," she added. "I want to change the world." Xueli Abbing to BBCAbbing concluded her story with an extremely important message for us all:"I want other children with albinism - or any form of disability or difference - to know they can do and be anything they want," she said. "People might say you can't do things but you can, just try."The future is in good handsAbbing's story of perseverance and ambition is such an important one to share. Counted out and abandoned, she has become a star who wants to impact change.With young people like Abbing shattering stereotypes and conventional standards, the world looks like it's definitely going to be left in good hands.More uplifting stories:4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First HousePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others

Marilyn Monroe: Raped at 11 Years Old
Goalcast Originals

Marilyn Monroe: Raped at 11 Years Old

Marilyn's Story The beautiful icon, Marilyn Monroe, was a victim of a lot of trauma growing up and she struggled throughout her whole life. 1 - Marilyn Monroe was raped when she was 11 years old. 2 - Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, she never knew her father. 3 - Her mother Gladys was placed in a mental institution. 4 - She used to try to smother Marilyn with a pillow while she was in her crib. 5 - Monroe grew up in orphanages and foster families and was sexually assaulted on a constant basis. 6 - At 15 years old, she dropped out of high school. 7 - As a way out of foster care, she married at age 16. 8 - She started working in munitions factory, where a photographer discovered her. 9 - This launched her successful career as a model. 10 - Monroe got divorced in 1946, the same year she obtained her first movie role.” 11 - That’s when she dyed her hair blonde and adopted the name “Marilyn Monroe”. 12- Her seductive voice and voluptuous curves made her an international sensation while she still struggled with deep insecurities in her acting abilities. 13 - Monroe was often ill from pre-performance anxiety which was the main cause of her well known tardiness on films sets. 14 - She got divorced three times. Her marriage to Joe DiMaggio lasted only 9 months. 15 - In May 1962 she famously sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy. 16 - Monroe’s movies grossed more than $200 million in revenues. 17 - Marilyn did not own a house until the last year of her life, and possessed very few things. 18 - On August 5th, 1962 Monroe died of a drug overdose. She was only 36 years old. 19 - An empty bottle of sleeping pills was found by her bed. 20 - More than 50 years after she passed, she is still considered to be a timeless popular icon of sex appeal, and femininity. 21 - He beauty and wit shall forever be remembered. 22 - “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”