Hot off the archive shelves is V120, where V celebrated 20 years since the magazine’s genesis with electric cover star Bella Hadid fully embodying the V Generation. Suited up in GCDS, Balenciaga, and Saint Laurent complimented by vividly bold make up from Dior, revisit the “Born to Be Bella” photos and essay remembering why the world fell in love with the Dutch-Palestinian model in the first place.

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Born to Be Bella

Who is that? asked every stunned paparazzi, security guard, and passerby back in 2014, hanging around outside V Magazine’s NYFW party with Miley Cyrus. No, it wasn’t a supermodel, it wasn’t a celebrity — it was Bella Hadid that had mouths agape. Even then, five years ago, before the whirlwind that was her career launch, before the countless campaigns, the Victoria’s Secret runways, before the beauty ambassadorships, the international headlines, before the joint V cover with sister Gigi photographed by Steven Klein that brought her fully into the fold of high fashion, Bella Hadid had the je ne sais quoi of legend.

What sets Bella apart from the glamorous girls who came before her is an undeniable flair, the flame in her famous green eyes, ripe with personality. Her commitment to her craft, her career, and role as muse is unquestioned. Yes, she was born to be Bella, a beauty in this world, but to those artists in the industry she is the canvas to bring their visions to life. Look no further than this cover story, with photographers Mert and Marcus, and makeup maestro Peter Philips, where she transforms from look to look to create a transfixing story like few could.

Like moths to a flame, Bella has gained fans around the world. Of course, with international fame comes international scrutiny. As Sir Isaac Newton posited, “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”; as 3LW said, “Haters gonna hate.” At this level of stardom, it’s impossible to avoid. Every word, every photo, is so wildly analyzed that scrutiny is inescapable. But, as Bella succinctly put it in her V96 cover interview, there’s a motto that will guide you through it all: “be kind and generous to everyone you meet.”

Though she was only two years old when V Magazine came to life, we see her as an embodiment of the V Generation: feisty, beautiful, and above all else, compassionate. The perfect person to help us celebrate 20 years of V.