I sort of forgot that the August issue of American Vogue would be devoted to the Olympics. So imagine my surprise when Vogue paired an Olympic decathlete with… Gigi Hadid. For the cover and cover shoot. The handsome man is Ashton Eaton, whom Vogue anoints as “the face of the 2016 games in Brazil.” Eaton has been in deep training in Santa Barbara for the Rio Olympics, so Gigi Hadid came to him. Half of the interview is about Gigi, and half is about Ashton Eaton. You can read the full piece here, plus you can see the full editorial.
The piece works as a primer on Gigi’s life, much of which I didn’t know. I didn’t know her father was an Olympic skier, nor did I know that Gigi grew up in Santa Barbara. I think the pairing of Gigi – who is known as one of the more athletic-looking models – with an Olympic athlete is a pretty decent fit, even if it means that Gigi Hadid now has her first American Vogue cover. Gigi has already gotten multiple international Vogue covers, and I honestly find her more compelling and interesting than most of the Insta-models. Reportedly, Kendall Jenner is Vogue’s September cover girl too.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video from Vogue. Ashton is such a cutie!
Photos courtesy of Mario Testino/VOGUE.
They couldn’t have gotten, say, a lovely female Olympian to grace the cover with Ashton? Gigi seems like a random choice.
he’s a better model than she is!
honk for more ashton!
That was my first thought. She’s an okay model but next to him it’s so obvious that she lacks substance. Which is usually fine as long as she looks good in photos but HE looks like a model and is an accomplished athlete.
Is that really the best picture they had?
I know, Bridget. Doesn’t make sense.
The Hadid children are beautiful, but I cannot look twice at the cover.
I usually think that Gigi is so pretty just in candids on the street or whatever, but less so in a lot of her modeling pictures, including this one. Hmm.
I agree! I think she has an absolutely stunning face but there’s a certain *something* missing when she’s posing.
Completely agree. She is a really pretty girl but is so underwhelming in her modeling pics. Her pictures lack excitement that you get with other professional models.
Why put a model on the cover at all? Or make half of the interview about her? Could they not put another athlete, like Gabby Douglas? And she blocking him on the cover. He looks like a prop.
LOL. Vogue’s IG page was rife with #nepotismisnotfashion hashtags.
Shouldn’t they have also used a female athlete then, if the issue is devoted to the Olympics?
Of course not, because they need to highlight the plight of the tall, pretty, thin, white supermodel (insert eye roll).
Seriously, I have no idea what brain altering substance the editorial staff at Vogue is on. Imagine the meeting to decide the cover shoot – everyone nodding at selecting Gigi for an issue supposedly dedicated to the Olympics. And dedicating pages to an interview with her, because we don’t know enough about her, instead of highlighting a group of dedicated, accomplished, had working athletes who train for years and sacrifice a lot to make it there. A few in popular sports may have endorsements but there are tons of athletes who have a lot of trouble raising the money required to train, compete, attend etc. But no, let’s focus instead on this vapid celeb offspring….
Women in sport get so much less coverage, sponsorship, everything.
Even when the actual TOPIC is the Olympics.
Male athletes are considered attractive and top of the class, eligible bachelors everyone wants to know. Women athletes are …. somewhere beneath nepotism-hired models. Her connection to the Olympics is that her dad was an ex-olympian. Her dad. HER DAD. UGH.
I’ll say it again, Anna Wintour, I vote for Simone Biles! World champion in all around gymnastics for 3 years running.
Gigi is blonde but she has a exotic look that makes her a bit more unique than like say Kendall.
I like her, I think she has expressive eyes and eyebrows and an interesting look.
I think she is a bit bland, but I like that she isn’t completely standard looks-wise. At least she is recognizable and not as dead-eyed as her sister.
To me she’s as standard as they come. Pretty, but she looks like all swimsuit models ever.
Bella is far more interesting.
I think Bella is far more interesting to look at.
I agree that Bella is the more attractive and interesting of the two sisters. Different strokes though
That guy sort of looks like Derek Jeter.
Hadid remains dead eyed with flaccid expressions.
When the non-model gives better “face” than the professional model….
Right?!? She should know look, lines, ‘n’ legs (good form) as much as an Olympian, sheesh! She managed to look tense and too loose at the same time…She’s “cute,” but SO easily out-modeled by other pro models, non-models, babies chained in strollers (YEAH! I said it!), etc…
But, uhhh, PSST!…Ashton!…How YOU doin’…?
Aren’t athletes superstitious at all ? I’d hate to be anointed the face of the Olympics weeks before the competition actually begins . Would be to afraid to jinx it.
I’m not a big fan of Gigi but she does have a certain look (reminds me of a skinnier Bridgitte Bardot) and she’s so much prettier than her sister. But if they put Kendall on the September cover I am done with Vogue!
Wait, what? No love for Ashton Eaton?
Well, I’ll love him for all of you. He’s a 9,000 pointer!
Gigi is a good edit model, but terrible on the runway. Kendall is the opposite.
Bella Hadid is the only with the full package.
There are so many gorgeous female athletes, but once again we are force-fed Hadid.
Wow how impropriate. A random it girl model, out of the enchangable five nepocrew, to be with a athlete for no reason other then, Wintour doesn’t think the he will sell covers with just him alone.
Totally agree with the why Gigi comments – especially when Ashton is half of an Olympian power-couple! He is married to a Canadian heptathlete who is a world medalist and also going to Rio. http://olympic.ca/team-canada/brainne-theisen/
Forget the models, let’s give the Olympic athletes their moment for the next few weeks.
Totally agree. These pictures look ridiculous, because of Gigi, not Ashton.
Awful.
Well, it’s Vogue not Sports Illustrated so I don’t think having a model with an Olympian on the cover and in the editorial is ill conceived. I think Gigi is a good choice because her lack of intensity in how she photographs (people seem to have a problem with her ‘presence’) reads as fun and playful here. Olympic training is serious business but if some model who poses for a living tried to match the intensity of the athlete it would come off as insincere. Love the sporty dresses.
SOmehow, Gigi’s attire on the cover looks like the costumes worn by the tributes in Catching Fire.