In August 2015, Cara Delevingne told London’s The Times that she was “not doing fashion work anymore,” explaining that working in the fashion industry severely affected her mental health. However, on March 30, 2016, Delevingne was announced as the new face of Yves Saint Laurent, and fans were confused as to why she suddenly returned to the industry she was speaking out against just last year. Delevingne took to Twitter to clarify her previous comments, as well as her current career move.
In a series of tweets, Delevingne revealed that she “never quit modeling” and furthermore, she does not “blame the fashion industry for anything.” She views her depression as a personal trouble separate from her work in the fashion industry; it only exacerbated her feelings of self-hatred rather than causing them, an aspect of Delevingne’s struggle that many fans misunderstood.
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She went on to say, “I am so lucky for the work I get to do but I used to work to try and escape and just ended up completely exhausting myself.” This statement suggests that she is in a better place now, where she is able to handle working in the fashion industry without using it as an “escape” from mental illness.