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Was Hailey Baldwin famous before she married Justin Bieber? What, exactly, is her claim to fame?
There’s no simple answer to this. Baldwin’s fame prior to marrying Bieber was the result of multiple factors. First, she comes from a famous family: her father, Billy Baldwin, and uncles (Alec, Stephen, and Daniel Baldwin) are all successful actors. Her sister, Alaia, and cousin, Ireland, are both models with significant Instagram followings. Baldwin, herself, is a model and former ballerina who has long spent time with other famous people, including the Jenner sisters.
All of these factors contribute to Baldwin’s notoriety as an “it girl” before she married Bieber. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Bieber was another aspect of her rising fame leading up to her marriage to him.
Baldwin’s Instagram Shows Famous Friends, Modeling Gigs, & More
One of Baldwin’s aspects of her fame has to do with who she keeps company with. In addition to her famous family, some of Baldwin’s best friends are the most known celebrities in the world: Kendall and Kylie Jenner. The three women have been posting photos of one another for as long as they’ve had Instagram accounts. The picture above of the three girls is from 2014, the year Baldwin started using Instagram.
Baldwin’s earlier years on the platform also reveal when her modeling career began to take off. In 2014, she modeled for the brand Brandy Melville. It was the first shoot she shared to her Instagram feed, whereas previously she’d shared content about her career as a ballerina.
Baldwin’s social media success has been the springboard for her success in modeling. As of December 2020, she has just over 31 million followers.
In the 2018 Netflix documentary American Meme, Baldwin talked about how her experience as an Instagram influencer has impacted her professional life.
“I have definitely lost jobs to girls who have more followers than I did,” she said. She relayed an anecdote about the time she went to a fitting for a fashion show, and there were follower counts next to each model’s name. She added, “The modeling industry itself is very harsh, and not easy to be successful in, and there are girls that are getting that recognition overnight because of an app.”
Baldwin & Bieber Share Snippets of Their Marriage Frequently
Since marrying one another, the Biebers have frequently allowed the public to get a glimpse of their married life as a young, famous couple. In the last year, they’ve launched two mini-documentary series, one with YouTube and one with Facebook.
Justin Bieber: Seasons was a series released to YouTube earlier this year. Similarly, the Biebers often share mini documentary episodes of their personal life during quarantine to Facebook Watch, under the series name Biebers on Watch.
They also frequently share photos of one another on Instagram, as well as the occasional heartfelt message. For Hailey’s birthday this November, Bieber shared a picture of his wife and captioned it: “My eyes are 4 you. My heart is 4 you. My soul is 4 you. I am Home wherever you are. You are my safe place. I am completely and utterly obsessed with who you are. My biggest dream is growing old with you. I can’t believe you are mine forever. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY”