Over the past year or so, Cara Delevingne has made it clear that she has swapped the runway for the big screen for good. In a new essay for Time magazine’s female-focused website, Motto, the former model has opened up about the reason she decided to quit the industry for good.
Discussing her initial struggle to gain the approval of the fashion industry, Cara remembers that ‘it took a while before [she] had stability in the business.’ But despite her eventual success, Cara began to constantly question herself, as she explains in a characteristically candid manner.
She writes that ‘I found myself surrendering to the industry’s approval process. I felt like I needed validation from everyone. As a result, I lost sight of myself and what it meant to be happy, what it meant to be successful.’
For Cara, the real cause of her unhappiness in the industry was this constant struggle for approval, as she explains that ‘it all stemmed from a deep-down feeling of wanting people to like me and love me.’ She adds, ‘I was poud of my accomplishments, but I wasn’t genuinely happy.’
The majority of us will be able to empathise with Cara’s struggle – who hasn’t wondered whether they’re too much of a ‘people pleaser’ when it comes to their career? Not wanting to fall out of love with the fashion industry, Cara explains how ‘I knew I had to re-evaluate my life and my goals for the future.’
Having found success as an actress in films like Paper Towns and Suicide Squad, Cara now feels much happier: 'I'm spending more time doing the stuff I love [...] When you have balance in your life, work becomes an entirely different experience.'
While we're a little bit gutted that we won't be seeing Cara return to the catwalk any time soon, it seems like it's definitely for the best.
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