Linda Evangelista is the cover of Vogue after disastrous cosmetic procedure

BBC News Brazil

Model Linda Evangelista appeared on the cover of the British edition of Vogue magazine for the first time since she said she was “deformed” by a cosmetic procedure gone wrong.

In the photos, tape and rubber bands were used to pull her face, jaw and neck back, hiding the problems caused by the side effect of cryolipolysis to reduce body fat.

“That’s not my jaw and neck in real life — and I can’t walk around with duct tape and rubber bands everywhere,” he said. “I’m trying to love myself as I am.”

He added: “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 resolved in these photos, so I have to do what I love to do.”

It’s been nearly a year since the Canadian supermodel — one of the most recognizable faces on runways and magazine covers of the 1990s and 2000s — said she disappeared from the spotlight because she was “brutally deformed” by a non-surgical fat-reduction procedure.

According to her, the CoolSculpting — the trade name for cryolipolysis, which uses very low temperatures to reduce fat deposits — went awry when a rare side effect made fat cells grow instead of shrinking.

Now, she told British Vogue: “If I had known the side effects could include losing your livelihood and you ending up so depressed you hate yourself… I wouldn’t have taken that risk.” All the photos published in the magazine show only the front of Evangelista’s face, keeping the model’s neck, ears and hair covered.

She said she made the decision to undergo the cosmetic procedure driven by her vanity and attracted by publicity. “Those CoolSculpting ads were running all the time on CNN, MSNBC, one after the other, and they kept asking, ‘Do you like what you see in the mirror?’ As if they spoke directly to me.”

“It was to remove those stubborn fat that insist on staying. The ad said no surgery was needed, no recovery time was needed… I ended up drinking the magic potion, and of course I would, because I’m a little vain. So I decided to do it — and it went wrong.” Evangelista sued Zeltiq Aesthetics, the company responsible for the treatment, and said in July that the lawsuit was settled with an agreement between the parties.

In a statement published in Vogue, Zeltiq stated, “We are pleased to have resolved this matter with Linda Evangelista. Our focus remains on empowering trust through the provision of safe, reliable, scientifically-proven aesthetic products and services. CoolSculpting It is a non-invasive treatment for removing visible concentration of fat in nine areas of the body and has FDA approval (US drug regulatory agency, equivalent to Anvisa).”

‘I KNEW MY VALUE’

In the interview given to Vogue, Evangelista recalled the beginning of her modeling career and the fame she gained in the 1980s. Asked if she was aware of her beauty, and if the boys were crazy to go out with her, she replied:

“No! I had a lot of friends, but no. You know what it was like? I was tall, and people used to say to my mom, ‘Oh, she’s tall, she should be a model.’ I was obsessed with fashion.” Evangelista also campaigned for models to be better paid.

“I had the power to do that,” he explained. “That’s why. But I also thought about what it was like in other careers. Athletes don’t all get paid the same—some get paid more for what they have to offer. I wasn’t thinking I was better than others…but I knew my value.”

This text was originally published here.