MIA KHALIFA’S RELAUNCH as a verified fashion girl has been a baptism by fire. Headlines have scrutinised her every move in the past and the comments section of her Instagram can feel like a battleground. But Khalifa’s new reign does not need further justification than the influx of show invites and brand engagements that have landed at her doorstep. Moving on from a career in the adult movie industry, she had a front-row seat to Paris Fashion Week in 2023, kitted in archival Jean Paul Gaultier and Schiaparelli.
“It’s mostly the girls and gays,” Khalifa says, a nod to her millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. A day before her first-ever Vogue shoot, for which she styled herself using clothes from her own closet, we discuss this new chapter of her life over a Zoom call. Khalifa appears on screen, in pink pyjamas that match her bleached eyebrows, bubbling with the energy of someone who’s downed three cortados before noon. In her cosy home, she is simply Sarah Joe, a cat mum who loves her mornings and whose living room is dotted with relatable, homely objects including a mushroom-shaped lamp and coffee-table books, several of which are on the art of tarot.
“Adversity builds character,” replies Khalifa, when asked how she deals with the haters online. “I tell myself I have made it through a lot worse. It’s mostly a mental thing. For the parts that aren’t, they make beta blockers,” she jokes. “I take it in my stride. Life doesn’t get hard when it’s about to get easier, it gets hard when things are changing for the better.”
Denne historien er fra January - February 2024-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Denne historien er fra January - February 2024-utgaven av VOGUE India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.
