Linda Evangelista reveals her face, jaw and neck were taped on cover of British Vogue: ‘Creating dreams’

Linda Evangelista has revealed that her face, jaw and neck were taped for her British Vogue cover shoot while opening up about the lasting physical and mental impacts of the CoolSculpting procedure that she says left her “permanently disformed”.

The supermodel, 57, who appears on the September issue of British Vogue, discussed the editing, retouching and makeup artistry tricks that went into the photo shoot in the accompanying interview.

“That’s not my jaw and neck in real life - and I can’t walk around with tape and elastics everywhere,” Evangelista said of the photos, which see her face taped by makeup artist Pat McGrath and her head wrapped in hats and scarves.

According to the model, who has been outspoken about her struggles to feel confident in her appearance after a popular fat-freezing procedure called cryolipolysis left her “brutally disfigured,” she is aware that these steps may make her quest for body acceptance harder, however, she also said that photos are different, as they are about creating “fantasies” and “dreams”.

“You know what, I’m trying to love myself as I am, but for the photos…” she said. “Look, for photos I always think we’re here to create fantasies. We’re creating dreams. I think it’s allowed. Also, all my insecurities are taken care of in these pictures, so I got to do what I love to do.”

Evangelista’s appearance on the Vogue cover comes after she recently returned to modelling for the first time since she first revealed in a September 2021 Instagram post that she had suffered a series of rare side effects after undergoing CoolSculpting, a brand name for the fat-freezing process, and that two corrective surgeries had been “unsuccessful”.

The supermodel shared a photo from a recent campaign for Fendi to Instagram last month, in which she could be seen wearing multiple pink satin hats and posing with Fendi purses. The photo sparked widespread praise from her fans, followers and peers, with many applauding her for taking the step.

However, in the interview with Vogue, Evangelista spoke candidly about her return to the modelling world after the traumatic cosmetic surgery experience, and why she doesn’t believe she’ll ever fully return.

“Am I cured mentally? Absolutely not,” she said, while revealing that she cannot look in the mirror, nor does she allow anyone to touch her body. However, she said that she has been grateful for the support she’s received since sharing her story. “But I’m so grateful for the support I got from my friends and from my industry,” she continued, adding that one of the first letters she received was from Fendi’s artistic director Kim Jones.

But, despite the Fendi campaign and the Vogue cover, Evangelista, who has since settled her lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics, said she is wary of describing her return to modelling as a “comeback,” as she claims it will be difficult to find jobs due to her appearance.

“I miss my work so much, but honestly, what can I do? It isn’t going to be easy,” she said. “You’re not going to see me in a swimsuit, that’s for sure. It’s going to be difficult to find jobs with things protruding from me; without retouching, or squeezing into things, or taping things or compressing or tricking…”

While Evangelista said that her journey toward recovery is not over, she previously told People that she planned to stop hiding in the hopes of shedding some of her shame, and helping others who may be in similar positions.

“I hope I can shed myself of some of the shame and help other people who are in the same situation as me. That’s my goal,” she said, adding: “I’m not going to hide anymore.”

The full interview is in the September issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday.