What Hailey Baldwin's Luxurious Hollywood Life Was Like Growing Up
Think about the lives of children of the rich and famous, and your mind is sure to conjure up images of expensive clothes, cars, mansions, and all the luxuries money can buy. Just look at Stormi Webster, the Beckham kids, or any other celeb children who grew up filthy rich. Being raised by well-known parents certainly has its perks, but it can also come at a price. In 2017, Willow Smith, the daughter of Hollywood royalty Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, has said the attention that can come with being the kid of very famous people is a lot to take on. "To be completely and utterly honest, it's absolutely terrible," she told Girlgaze, adding that most kids like her fall into depression while the world watches on and ridicules them (via Marie Claire).
A-listers' children can't change where they come from, but they always have the choice to embrace their reality and create the life they want for themselves. Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin), the daughter of Stephen Baldwin and niece to Alec Baldwin, is one of those celebrity offspring. "I want to do everything on my own without my name being a factor," she told Grazia in 2016.
Want to know how she ended up navigating life as a nepo baby? Here's what growing up with a famous family was like for Hailey Baldwin.
Hailey Baldwin rubbed elbows with celebs as a kid
Hailey Baldwin first met her husband, Justin Bieber, in 2009. When Hailey was 12 years old, her dad, Stephen Baldwin, introduced her to pop star following a morning show. By that time, Bieber was already a big deal, but she apparently wasn't all that interested. In his docuseries "Seasons," Bieber recounted their initial interaction. "For most young girls back in the day, it was like, 'Let's go see Justin Bieber. Tight,'" he said. "She got there and her eyes were closed ... She didn't care at all."
Even though Hailey wasn't a star back then, apparently she wasn't easy to impress. And while was regularly photographed hanging out with big-name public figures and making her way down the red carpet, she never thought of herself as someone famous.
While Bieber became a household name when he was still a kid, his wife has said she was able to lead a relatively low-key life in her younger years. "I knew my father was an actor and he was famous to an extent, but if I was to compare how I grew up to how Justin did, he's had a way crazier 'famous' experience really young," she told Vogue India in 2020. "I got to grow up and get my driver's license and really be normal until the past three years of my life."
Hailey Baldwin was homeschooled
There's a reason why Hailey Baldwin didn't meet her future husband when she was in high school. Actually, there are two: A) Bieber and Baldwin didn't go to the same high school, and B) Baldwin never went to high school. On an episode of TikTok star Dixie D'Amelio's YouTube series "The Early Late Night Show," Baldwin shared how she quit school when she was in the seventh grade and started homeschooling from the eighth grade.
As far traditional high school experiences are concerned, Baldwin has said she's happy with the route she took while acknowledging that there are some aspects that can't be recreated at home. "I missed out on interacting with boys. I think I'm fine now, but ... when you're in high school, it's boys and girls. It's a different environment," she told D'Amelio.
Going the homeschool route was ultimately her decision, though her parents told her it was that or going to a Christian school. "I actually wanted to go to a performing arts school in New York City and they didn't want me to do that either. So, I just chose to stay home," Baldwin told D'Amelio. Baldwin also explained that she never felt isolated even though she was homeschooled because her social life was buzzing. In a 2016 interview with Grazia, Baldwin suspected the experience helped her gain emotional maturity at an earlier age.
She is a devout Christian
Just like her parents Stephen and Kennya Baldwin, Hailey Baldwin is a devout Christian. In a 2017 interview with Elle, the model said she takes her faith quite seriously. "I quote the Bible all the time. I take it into my everyday life," she shared. "It's something that's really important to me and I've seen it change a lot of people's lives. It certainly did in my family."
Hailey went on to tell the outlet that she does not like when people mock her faith. What's more, she said she fully intended to marry someone who shared the same values. Enter: Justin Bieber.
Speaking with comedian Yvonne Orji on her YouTude episode "A Conversation With," the pop star's other half had a short but sweet answer to the secret to her happy marriage: "It's our faith. It's what we believe in. If we didn't have that, we wouldn't even be here. We wouldn't even be together." Hailey also told Orji that she occasionally worries about fellow Christians questioning her faith because of her overall lifestyle and career.
She made her runway debut as a teen
Though Hailey Baldwin told Grazia in 2016 that she doesn't want to be reduced to her surname, being a part of the Baldwin family sure has worked in her favor. In the same interview, she acknowledged that, thanks to her connections, she was able to learn from established models early on.
Baldwin started runway modeling when she was a teen. However, she decided to put runway modeling on hold after a particularly bad experience with a casting director. "He said something to my agent that just shook my confidence when it came to the runway. I don't want to feel bad about myself in this space because I feel really good about the other work that I do," she told Allure. Her family name might have helped her get a foot in the door, but Baldwin believes it's her hard work that helped her have a good modeling career. "I want to be a model. I don't think I would be where I am if people didn't see something in me," she told Elle in 2017.
While runway modeling isn't her top priority, Baldwin has done well for herself as a spokesmodel for companies like bareMinerals and Levi Jeans. In 2018, she told Coverture making money isn't her top priority when it comes to taking a job... and that comment didn't sit right with some netizens. "So wise, from a woman born into infinite wealth [and] privilege," one user fumed on Instagram.
She used to be a ballet dancer
One upside of being homeschooled for Hailey Baldwin was that she could focus on her dancing skills, per Grazia. In an interview with V Magazine, Baldwin gushed about how studying ballet for as long as she did made a difference in her life. "I think watching ballet has totally shaped how I see and feel movement. It has inspired me so much," she said. Per Harper's Bazaar, Baldwin did ballet for 12 years. "It plays a big part in my body type and in my athleticism. It's kept my body healthy, and mentally it taught me how to be committed to something," she told the magazine.
Baldwin misses being a dancer and she is grateful that she could learn a great deal from it. She said the discipline and drive it took her to commit to the art helped make her who she is today.
She befriended some very famous people
Call it another perk of being born into fame. Hailey Baldwin has always kept her circle tight, and it includes some of the most famous faces in the modeling world including her close pal, Kendall Jenner. In 2018, Kendall told Elle that she and Hailey actually did a Baldwin/Jenner swap. "She was actually best friends with Kylie, and I was good friends with her cousin Ireland [Alec Baldwin's daughter]," Kendall shared. Hailey and Kendall eventually became good friends, and while this caused some drama between Kris Jenner's two youngest daughters, they were able to work it out.
Hailey is also chummy with Gigi and Bella Hadid, Justine Skye, and Joan Smalls. She also struck up a friendship with Cara Delevingne, but as E! News noted, things presumably got awkward between them after Justin Bieber was asked to rank three of Baldwin's BFFs on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in 2020. The "Sorry" singer placed Delevingne third, insisting there were no hard feelings. Regardless, this did not sit well with the model, and she took to Instagram and asked why Bieber had blocked her on Instagram if he actually didn't have an issue with her. Yikes.
She has always been open about her insecurities
Having cameras follow her around from a young age, Hailey Baldwin is no stranger to scrutiny. Her life may seem perfect from the outside, but she's grappled with a number of personal struggles. Justin Bieber's significant other has always been open about her insecurities and how they affect her. As previously noted, she quit runway modeling due to one bad comment from a casting director, which just goes to show that no matter a person's background or the connections bequeathed to them, a celebrity kid can be as human as the rest of us.
In 2019, Baldwin shared a lengthy Instagram post where she detailed how her life isn't perfect despite how it may seem. "I have had more days than I can count where I've found myself scrolling through Instagram comparing myself, comparing my looks, feeling like I'm not good enough feeling like I lack so many things, and really struggling to be confident in who I am because I constantly feel like I'm just not good enough," she wrote.
She and her sister Alaia Baldwin have a close bond
Hailey Baldwin has an older sister, Alaia Baldwin, who is also a model and just as stunning. According to Seventeen, Alaia is also an activist for endometriosis. The duo often share pictures together on Instagram.
In 2017, Alaia tied the knot with music producer Andrew Aronow. Hailey was by her sister's side as her maid of honor. And when Alaia gave birth to a baby girl in 2020, Hailey was, of course, over the moon. Taking to her Instagram Stories, she shared a picture of the newborn and shared how happy she was to welcome her. "Been so hard to keep this to myself. My beautiful niece is here and she is PERFECT. Auntie Hails loves you sooooo much," she wrote (via Entertainment Tonight).
It's clear the two sisters are very much in each other's corner. When Alaia received an award at the 10th annual Endometriosis Foundation of America's Blossom Ball, Hailey (and Aronow) were there to show support. "I'm really lucky that they're nearby and they can come with me and make me feel comfortable and excited," she told Us Weekly. Gotta love sister love.