The dark side of fashion: mental illness in the fashion industry

Fashion models struggling with mental health - When we look at big fashion campaigns, we envy those men and women for their perfect lives. But it's not all as great as it seems.

Models like Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah are at the forefront of a new wave of women speaking out about their struggles in the fashion industry. Behind all the glamour and fun, young models suffering from depression and eating disorders are calling out for attention.

These are the stories of models who had to deal with mental illnesses.

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Behind the scenes - Did you know that around 40% of fashion models suffer from some sort of eating disorder and depression?

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Adwoa Aboah - The British model was one of the most sought-after models last year. She was on several magazine covers, including British Vogue's December issue, American and Italian Vogue and i-D magazine.

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Adwoa Aboah - She was also the star of several fashion campaigns for big designers, including Calvin Klein, Fendi, DKNY, Alexander Wang, Theory, H&M, Aldo, Versace, Topshop, Fenty x Puma, Kenzo, Simone Rocha and Erdes.

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Adwoa Aboah - But life wasn't always easy for Camilla Lowther and Charles Aboah's daughter (her parents are renowned fashion photographers). As a teenager, she was addicted to drugs such as ketamine and had to go through several rehab clinics.

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Adwoa Aboah - She started her career at a young age and had to deal with harsh criticism very early on. In 2014, she tried to commit suicide.

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Adwoa Aboah - Nowadays, she's the founder of Gurls Talk, a network that encourages girls all over the world to talk about mental health, fenimism and acceptance.

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Cara Delevingne - The British model also struggled during her modeling career.

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Cara Delevingne - She's been the face of famous brands such as Burberry, H&M, Authentic Collection, Dominic Jones Jewellery, Blumarine, Zara and Chanel. She has also walked for designers such as Shiatzy Chen, Moschino, Jason Wu, Oscar de la Renta, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Stella McCartney and Chanel.

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Cara Delevingne - But it hasn't always been easy for her. Cara has revealed she suffered from depression, which started when she found out about her mother's drug addiction.

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Cara Delevingne - She told Esquire magazine that she liked the person everybody thought she was, but hated her real self.

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Cara Delevingne - Facing reality and dealing with her issues head on was Cara's only choice, so in 2017 she published a book called 'Mirror, Mirror: A Twisty Coming-of-Age Novel about Friendship and Betrayal.'

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Gigi Hadid - Gigi Hadid is one of the most popular models of her generation, and she has over 30 million followers on Instagram.

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Gigi Hadid - She signed with IMG Models in 2013 and made her debut in Models.com's Top 50 Models list in November 2014. She was elected International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council in 2016.

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Gigi Hadid - If you look through her Instagram, you may think her life is perfect. But don't be fooled!

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Gigi Hadid - She said that she sometimes feels suffocated by the world and people's opinions at a Reebok event in 2016.

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Gigi Hadid - She also said sometimes you need to sit down and think that you're going to have tough days and meet judgmental people, but you must remind yourself you're a good person.

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Nina Marker - The Danish model made a name for herself when the walked for several designers in the fashion weeks all over the world, including for Versace and Fendi.

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Nina Marker - She has used the platform fashion has given her to spread a message of hope.

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Nina Marker - During the Milan Fashion Week, she posted a picture on Instagram where she's sporting a t-shirt with the words:

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Nina Marker - 'Be kind. I have autism.' She was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the early age of 15.

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Nina Marker - Her goal is to spread awareness and show that you can be successful even when you're diagnosed with such disorders.

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Zuzanna Buchwald - The Polish model quit her career as an athlete to become a model, but the process was harder than you may think.

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Zuzanna Buchwald - She was pressured into loosing muscle mass as her agency told her to stop working out and eating.

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Zuzanna Buchwald - That struggle pushed her to anorexia and bulimia.

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Zuzanna Buchwald - The model revealed that the skinnier she became, the more jobs she was getting in the industry.

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Zuzanna Buchwald - The model, who's worked for brands such as Gucci, Prada and Versace, revealed all in a video titled 'I'm Not Your Clothes Hanger,' which is a part of the mini-series 'Real Women, Real Stories.'

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'Real Women, Real Stories' - The project was created by Matan Uziel with the goal of giving voice to women in the entertainment and fashion industries who need to overcome difficult situations such as sexual and verbal abuse, as well as eating disorders.

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