Mother Knows Best: A Letter From Our Editor | Harper’s Bazaar Arabia December 2023
Bazaar Arabia’s Group Editor in Chief Olivia Phillips discusses why Adriana Lima’s clapback was the battle-cry backed by mothers everywhere
“Thanks for your concern.” That was the withering sign-off from our cover star Adriana Lima’s Insta Story last month, where she put critics in their place after the internet deemed it acceptable to publicly shame her appearance on the red carpet. “The face of a tired mom of one teenage girl, two pre-teens, one active boy, a one-year-old learning to walk, and three dogs…” she wrote under a make-up-free selfie, posted after the furore.
Quite right, too. After all, aren’t the days of this kind of embarrasing, blithe misogyny allegedly over? Sadly, apparently not quite yet… although the support Adriana gathered after she clapped back is at least testament to something of a changing tide.
But why did it resonate so much? Why was the applause she received quite so hearty? Well… I would posit a few reasons. One, it was funny. There’s nothing better than bullies being made to look small by a witty and well-sculpted turn of phrase. The pen, remember, is mightier than the sword. Two, it was unexpected. Celebrities (and just most women, for that matter), aren’t usually ones to comment, defend or fight back against beauty shaming – let alone in a public arena. We have centuries of gendered social conditioning to thank for that. And lastly, three: it acted as a collective battle-cry from mums everywhere; among the loudest and most terrifying people on the internet – but also some of the most maligned.
As I hurtle headlong into motherhood myself (my first child is due next month), I am supremely grateful for women in the public domain like Adriana – the ones who have absolutely no fear of saying it exactly like it is. Frankly, if I want to let my Botox, highlights or hair-extension habit slide post-partum, I will. Conversely, if the only way I feel that I can reclaim myself is by doubling down on all the above, then I may well do that too. If anyone has anything to say about either, I have the perfect sardonic one-liner ready in response: “Thanks for your concern.”
Photographer: Mattia Guolo. Fashion Director: Anna Castan. Editor-in-Chief: Olivia Phillips. Hair: Eduardo Bravo. Make-Up: Kelly McClain. Senior Producer: Steff Hawker. On-site Producer: Johana Dana. Lighting Assistant: Alessio Spanu. Styling Assistant: Christian Marchesich. Special thanks to Mandarin Oriental Geneva
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2023 issue.