Kiki chats with the Dutch doppelgänger of Gigi Hadid
Everyone has a doppelgänger walking around the world. What happens if you look a lot like top model Gigi Hadid in some photos? The Dutch Iza IJzerman (18) went completely viral this week and we called her.
Hi Iza, you’re speaking with Kiki from Amayzine.com, do you have time to chat?
“Sure! Do you have two seconds? I’ll just put you down for a moment. I need to put on some pants, haha. I’m shooting in Milan.”
Can you explain what exactly happened this week?
“It all started with an email from an editor at the American lifestyle website Refinery29. They thought I looked like Gigi Hadid and wanted to interview me. The next day the piece was online and then everything went into overdrive. I was getting calls, texts, tags from all sides and messages from all sorts of unknown people. It’s incredibly funny, but also very bizarre.”
And then?
“First, quite a few major American media picked it up (think of the New York Post and Time Magazine, ed.) and then the news rolled over to Europe, Australia, India, and even Brazil. My Instagram account exploded immediately. Suddenly I’m getting messages from companies, brands, and modeling agencies that want to collaborate with me.”
How strange is it to suddenly go viral?
“The first two days I didn’t really grasp what was happening. Actually, it’s only just been a day that it really took off. I had three thousand followers on Instagram and now suddenly eighteen thousand. Every day between four and six thousand new people are following me. Last night it suddenly hit me. I got messages from strangers saying ‘I’m such a fan of you’, ‘I love you’ and: ‘You look even more beautiful than Gigi.’ I can hardly believe this is really happening, but I don’t mind at all, haha.”
I don’t find it that weird, because in some photos I really do see the similarities with Gigi. You less?
“At first, I didn’t see it at all. Until more and more people started saying it and then you start to think: yeah, maybe I do have certain features. Six months ago, I was randomly approached on the street by an 11-year-old boy. He also thought I was Gigi.”
Honestly, how many private messages are currently open on your phone that you haven’t responded to yet?
“In the beginning, I really tried to respond to everyone because I enjoyed it so much, but I think I now have about two hundred open. I’m currently doing a modeling job in Milan and unfortunately don’t have time to respond to everything. Gigi has 34 million followers, I’m curious how she manages that, haha.”
How does the modeling agency you’re registered with react to the media attention?
“I immediately sent a message to my agent saying: ‘Look, I’m in Elle, Glamour, Marie Claire, and Vogue’ with all sorts of screenshots. They were inundated with press wanting to know more about me. They think it’s fantastic, of course.”
Aren’t they afraid of all those sharks wanting to work with you?
“No, because the British MiLK is and remains my mother agency. From there, we are now looking to collaborate with agencies in New York. I actually think it’s good that it’s being picked up now, because in the Netherlands there aren’t that many plus-size modeling agencies. Here, you almost only have agencies for girls with size 34.”
Speaking of which, judging by the messages on your social media, it seems that quite a few people are outraged by the fact that you are being called a plus-size model.
“Okay, it’s a label, I get that. But I don’t mind being plus-size at all. In the photos on my Instagram where I’m lying down, I might look a bit thinner, but I’m definitely a large size 38 to 40. It’s just a term in fashion used for sizes larger than 34 and 36, it doesn’t immediately mean you’re fat or anything. People make a huge deal out of it because they just don’t know what it means.”
What do you do in your free time?
“I think I have a modeling job every two weeks, it depends a bit. Besides that, I try to spend a lot of time with my family. And I try to work out three times a week, although that doesn’t always work out, haha.”
What are your favorite brands?
“I’m a huge fan of Gucci. Their new collection is very wearable. I also think Ganni is a beautiful brand and I buy almost all my clothes on Asos. I hate going into the city. Every now and then I go to the center of The Hague, where I live, or to Amsterdam to shop, but definitely not too often.”
What is the summer item according to you?
“A straw beach bag. So nice and simple. I’ve had one of those bags since I was twelve and still have it. It’s really fun that it’s in fashion now.”
And finally (you’ve already nailed going viral); what is the next goal in your modeling career?
“I hope that larger brands will increasingly choose curvy models, which some are fortunately already doing. Being on the cover of Love Magazine or V Magazine is secretly a dream of mine.”
