If you are as remotely obsessed with pop culture as I am, you probably watched the 95th Oscars that aired last week. And you probably gasped too when Cara Delevingne walked on stage in a stunning red Elie Saab gown and Bulgari jewels.
And not just because of how beautiful she looked.
Part of the surprise of seeing Delevingne at the Oscars was due to the recent rumors surrounding the state of her mental and physical health. Late last year, after a trip to Burning Man, paparazzi photos of a disheveled and distressed Delevingne made their way around the Internet. Thousands of fans expressed their concern for her well-being. Even Delevingne’s good friend Margot Robbie publicly shared her worries.
For a chronically online person like myself, the photos of Delevingne were troubling, though not all that surprising. For as long as she’s been famous, Delevingne’s been known for rebellious and wild antics. But according to an interview with Vogue this month, that part of her life is over. The paparazzi photos didn’t just scare her fans, they scared Delevigne too. She called them a “wake-up call to step away from the substances and the alcohol that had long seduced her with their offer of escape and to confront deeper personal issues that she’d been running away from.” Today, she is committed to her sobriety and the 12-step plan.
Delevingne also shared her struggles with sense-of-self and identity. Her commitment to being sober allowed her to see how much of her self-esteem was defined by her work. The way she looked, who she loved, her career choices — they were all criticized under a microscope. When the entire world shut down in 2020 and she couldn’t continue modeling or acting, Delevingne felt like she had “no purpose.” The isolation intensified her use of alcohol, drugs, and partying as a way to distract herself from her inner pain and anxiety. Heartbreakingly, she felt as though she couldn’t turn to her close friends for help, as if her struggles would only burden them.
But Delevingne is optimistic and adamant that she’s turned a new leaf. Having learned the importance of vulnerability and honesty. She’s reached out to friends for help and no longer feels as alone as she once did. In her sobriety, Delevingne’s also developed a new outlook on her professional career: “Work is extremely important, but work is secondary because my self-work is the most important thing,” she explained. Delevingne is actively taking the steps to redirect her formerly “erratic” energy towards nurturing her relationship with herself and those closest to her.
Delevingne’s story is inspiring and a lesson in self-love for us all. It’s easy to get caught up in work, and even easier to throw yourself into it when life gets hard. But in doing so, you just might lose yourself along the way. We need to cut ourselves some slack every once and a while. Phone a friend. Have a girl’s night. Be vulnerable.
In the last ten years Cara Delevingne’s taught me two exceptionally important life lessons. First and foremost, to always prioritize taking care of yourself. And second, to just leave your eyebrows alone.