Celebrated as one of the most accomplished models of all time, Linda Evangelista has been in the modeling industry for many decades and still retains relevance. She is one model who remained faithful to her craft without diversifying into other career paths like her counterparts. Before she put her career on hold in 1998, Evangelista was among the most famous and influential women in the world. Three years afterward, she bounced back to uphold the reputation.
While she has called time on her career before, followed by a seamless comeback, Linda Evangelista’s latest disappearance from the public eye caught major media attention. She went into hiding around 2016 with no explanation for her absence. Six years later, the supermodel opened up about the career-threatening experience that ran her out of the runway. However, she seems to be back in her full glory with the modeling legend gracing the cover of British Vogue in September 2022.
Linda Evangelista Is One of the Most Influential Supermodels of All Times
Born on May 10, 1965, Linda Evangelista reigned supreme in the modeling industry around the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. The supermodel was so popular she inspired a widely recognized haircut – “The Linda.” While the Canadian model officially began her career in 1983, Evangelista modeled locally in her hometown before she was scouted at the Miss Teen Niagara beauty pageant by an Elite Model representative. Evangelista signed with Elite in 1984 and subsequently launched her international high-fashion career as a 19-year-old.
Currently represented by multiple top agencies, including DNA Model Management (New York), Linda Evangelista has reached the top echelons of her career and still holds sway. She walked many runways and appeared on classy magazine covers between 1988 and 1997 when she was certified as a supermodel. After a three-year break, she returned to modeling and continued her noteworthy impact in the industry. So far, Evangelista has graced over 700 magazine covers. Viewers of the Fashion File television show voted her as The Greatest Supermodel of All Time in 2008. With a mantra that goes – “We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day,” there’s no gainsaying the Canadian modeling icon is one of the most accomplished beauties in the industry.
Linda Evangelista noticeably disappeared from the spotlight in 2016. Her absence lingered for a couple of years with no explanation but her legacy remained alive. She later came out of hiding to open up about her health and mental struggles following a cosmetics procedure gone wrong.
A Botched Plastic Surgery Forced Her to Retreat From the Public Eye
Linda Evangelista resurfaced after a few years of withdrawing from the public eye with a heart-wrenching story of how a botched non-surgical CoolSculpting procedure almost ended her career and destroyed her mental health. In her revealing Instagram post in September 2021, Evangelista shared how she put herself through cryolipolysis to enhance her physical appearance. She had seven sessions of CoolSculpting between August 2015 and February 2016 after which things went south.
The procedure which was supposed to reduce fat under her skin accomplished the opposite. The reverse reaction stemmed from the complication known as Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) which according to the model left her “brutally disfigured.” Three months after undergoing the procedure, she began noticing bulges around some parts of her body, including her thighs and chin.
Consequently, the botched fat-freezing treatment drove Linda Evangelista to live her life in seclusion. “I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know,” she told People. Evangelista took legal action against Zeltiq Aesthetics, the CoolSculpting owner and a subsidiary of Allergan. The model requested $50 million in damages as compensation for the emotional distress and income loss she incurred during her withdrawal period. On the bright side, she is back in the spotlight, ready to own her truth.
Linda Evangelista Is Finally Ready to Move on With Her Life
Following some miserable years of hating her own body, Linda Evangelista has decided to turn her lemons into lemonade. While the legendary model is yet to make a full recovery, she has returned to modeling with her face on the September 2022 cover of British Vogue. The model looked stunning in her first job since the botched cosmetic procedure but revealed that make-up artist Pat McGrath resorted to tapes and elastics to draw back her face, jaw, and neck backward for aesthetics. Notwithstanding, she is not giving up on getting her groove back. Evangelista also joined a new Fendi campaign, promoting the brand’s fashion show. Also, the model has settled her $50 million lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics but the amount she received wasn’t made public.
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