The Hadids are one of the most influential clans in the entertainment business with strong roots in the fashion industry.
You may know the famous supermodels Gigi and Bella, but the two Hadid daughters get their photogenic genes from their mother, Yolanda who is a former supermodel herself.
The 54-year-old has long retired from her modeling career but her legacy is far from over. The mum-of-three was only a teenager when she first signed with a modeling agency and now she has handed over the baton to her two daughters, Bella and Gigi, two of the most sought-after models in the industry today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd8GIi7Bk6z/?utm_source=ig_embed
Yolanda even dabbled in reality television, partaking the popular Bravo show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
In 2016, she said adieu to Bravo and started her own reality series called Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid. The show fitted Yolanda's experience perfectly, having been a model herself and then grooming her daughters later.
The reality tv mum plays coach to aspiring young models on the show, although she finds her job a little difficult oftentimes because she doesn't want to be too harsh or critical to these young women based on their physical appearance.
Hadid believes in the positive reinforcement method for coaching instead of making them feel bad about themselves.
Yolanda says that the goal of the show is to give the viewers a realistic look inside the life of a model and to show young women what awaits them ahead in their careers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeOMEDRB-5x/?utm_source=ig_embed
Hadid is also a celebrated author who admitted in her memoir that she struggles with Lyme disease, although her health is in a better place now.
Originally hailing from the Netherlands, Yolanda was born into a poor family, a factor that attracted her towards modeling at such a young age.
She lost her father when she was only seven after which she faced immense pressure to provide for her family. After being signed onto Ford Models, Yolanda was asked to move to New York where she lived in a shared home provided by her modeling agency.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcxPTa3Bk8f/?utm_source=ig_embed
At the time, she only had $55 in her pocket, that her mom had given to her as a parting gift. Before she was called into interviews and meetings for a potential modeling gig, her agency would give her a roll of quarter bills that she used to get by.
Being all on her own in a big city with nothing but a paper map to guide her, Yolanda often felt alone and overwhelmed. But the determination to earn money and give her family a better life kept her going.