Hailey Bieber says fame is 'not normal': 'It's very weird having all these grown men following you around all the time'
Hailey Bieber is opening up about the weirdness of fame and how she struggled to grasp her diminishing privacy after marrying pop superstar Justin Bieber in 2018.
"In the beginning of our marriage, I just wanted to hide," the 24-year-old model told Elle. "I was like, ‘I don’t want people so in my business. I feel like everybody’s up my ass.’ I was like, ‘Can there be no anonymity? Can I have any of it back?'"
For the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, being in the spotlight wasn't necessarily new. After all, her first meeting with Justin, when they were just 14 and 12 years old backstage at the Today Show, was caught on camera. When the two joined their lives together, however, their superstardom as a power couple blew up to new heights, which meant that Hailey needed to find new ways to deal with it — like turning off public comments on her social media platforms.
"I remember someone telling me that [it] really lowers your engagement. And I was like, ‘I could give a f*** about engagement! People are terrorizing me,'" she recalled.
And although she admitted to being "careful saying something like, ‘The good thing about the pandemic,'" Hailey shared that wearing a mask while in public did provide some of the anonymity that she was craving. "One thing I do like is that the paparazzi can't see your face. I’m a young woman, and it’s very weird having all these grown men following you around all the time. I’m still not used to it, and I don't think I ever should be used to it, because it’s weird and not normal. Honestly, I may never stop wearing the mask in public, let’s just put it that way."
As for any other upsides to a year at home and away from the public eye, Hailey said that she and Justin have had time to get closer. "Over the last six years of my career, I’ve never gone this long without working. Quarantine has removed any expectations of work, and there is no pressure of having to be anywhere. It’s the same for Justin. We’ve gotten so much solid alone time. It’s like this long, extended vacation where we get to hang out together all the time," she explained.
"I think any relationship can fail, Hollywood or not. Is it harder in the public eye? Absolutely," Hailey continued. "But I think the two of us are grounded by our faith. I’m not saying it’s this easy-peasy thing that doesn’t take work. We talk to a therapist. We do what we have to do."
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