Bella Hadid has defended posting selfies where she can be seen crying during a tough time.

During an appearance on Wall Street Journal’s My Monday Morning on Monday (17 January), the 25-year-old model spoke about the photographs she posted of herself crying in November 2021.

“That post made me less lonely because I had a lot of people that have reached out saying, ‘I feel that way too,’” Hadid, who is one of the world’s top models, said.

“[I posted those photos] to make sure that anybody that was feeling that way knew it was okay to feel that way,” the American model said. “Even though on Instagram things look so beautiful, at the end of the day, we are all cut from the same cloth.”

“I felt like it was just good for me to be able to speak my truth and at some point, I wasn’t able to post nice pretty pictures anymore. I was over it.”

Hadid further explained that she’s not sure if such photos are something people want on Instagram, “and that’s fine”.

“I don’t have to be on Instagram forever. I feel like real is the new real, and that’s what’s important to me,” the model added.

Speaking of her current mental health, Hadid said: “I do have good days. Today is a good day.”

“My brain fog is feeling better, I don’t feel depressed. I don’t have as much anxiety as I usually do. But tomorrow I could wake up and [be] the complete opposite. That’s why I get so overwhelmed,” she revealed.

In her November post, Hadid explained that coping with anxiety, depression, and burnout has been her reality “every day, every night” for a few years now.

The Versace muse has addressed her struggles with anxiety and depression in the past as well.

In 2019, Hadid said she found it hard to reconcile her professional success with the state of her mental health.

Speaking at the Vogue Fashion Festival at the time, Hadid explained: “I feel guilty for being able to live this incredible life, have the opportunities that I do, but somehow still be depressed. It doesn’t make sense.”

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