Adriana Lima was just as shocked as fans when she saw the photos of herself at the Los Angeles premiere The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in November.
After initially dismissing plastic surgery claims and clapping back at fans who said her face looked “swollen” and “unrecognizable,” Lima, 42, recently admitted Harper’s Bazaar Arabia interview that she was surprised by her appearance.
“I was in shock when I saw it [the photos]. I thought, ‘That’s not me.’ Everything was strange because I don’t see myself that way. I still don’t see myself that way… you can see yourself differently,” she told the publication.
‘But I didn’t feel offended or anything; I laughed. The thing is, I’m not 16 years old. I started modeling when I was 16, but I will never be 16 again. I’m 42, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been; happiest with myself. I embrace my age and I won’t change for anyone.”
The day after the premiere, Lima responded to critics with a makeup-free Instagram selfie, explaining: “The face of a tired mother of a teenage girl, two young teens, an active boy, a 1-year-old learning to walk and three dogs…thank you for your concern.”
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Adriana Lima
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicLima is mother to daughters Sienna, 11, and Valentina, 14, whom she shares with her ex-husband Marko Jaric. She also welcomed her son Cyan with boyfriend in August 2022 Other Lemmers.
At the premiere in question, Lima was accompanied by Lemmers, 42, her two daughters, and Lemmers’ children Miah and Lupo.
In the same Harper’s Bazaar Arabia In an interview, Lima said she worries about how the latest wave of public criticism of her appearance will affect her children.
“My concerns about this are not for me, but for my children, because they were with me, they saw me and then this stuff comes out,” she explained. “I don’t want them to feel pressure to look a certain way because of other people. If they do that to me, how will they be safe? And the truth is, I don’t think anyone is safe because people are always criticizing.”
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Adriana Lima
Steve Granitz/FilmMagicLima has always felt an intense sense of protectiveness towards her children. In a 2016 interview with FashionLima revealed the many concerns she experiences as a mother.
“When you become a mother for the first time, everything has to be perfect and delicate, and you worry about every little thing [your kids] do,” Lima said at the time. ‘I would have put them in bubble wrap if I didn’t look like a fool. I still always want to protect them, but I know they are resilient girls.”