No scripts, no prompts, just pure Heart.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOEL LOW. STYLED BY KENNETH GOH. TEXT BY AARON KOK. Heart wears high jewellery from Tiffany & Co. throughout.
The Myth Of Ageing
Of course, there’s also the question of age—something Heart speaks about with refreshing clarity. After all, we know that society never gives women the time of day when it comes to ageing. We tell them to embrace their fine lines, but Instagram is filled with barbed remarks about body shapes and naturally occurring wrinkles. You’re not pretty enough one moment, or too pretty that it must be augmented the next. You are only allowed to age gracefully, as long as you look 10 years younger than your biological age.
It’s a bitter reality that Heart knows exists, and she’s candid about women who choose to get a procedure or two done, as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons. “Do it because it makes you happy,” she says. “Don’t do it for other people. That’s the myth of ageing I’d like to break—that ageing is something to be fixed because society pressures you to think so.”
Even her views of perfection have evolved over time. While many of her younger followers celebrate lo-fi, unfiltered content that have overshadowed the once-popular idea of a pristinely-shot Instagram photograph, Heart still finds joy in creating cinematic videos and perfectly framed shots.
“Maybe in another life I’d be a director,” she muses. “I love the process— choosing the music, the editing, the vibe. It feeds my soul. I am by no means perfect, and I’m okay with that, but in everything I do, the vibe and the feel has to be perfect because I want to be proud of my work.”
True At Heart
In that way, Heart showcases the paradox within her. She embraces her shortcomings, whilst always striving for perfection. In spite of her tenderness, there’s a rebelliousness in her. She tells me that her creativity comes from a melancholy place, yet this is also the artist who paints in bright colours. And behind the public face, there’s a realness and a genuine warmth that emanates when speaking to you.
When I ask what her younger self would say if she saw who she is now, she doesn’t miss a beat. “We’d both be crying,” she exclaims, her eyes glazing over in a frank display of emotion. “I think she’d be proud! I hope that she would say, ‘They told you to tone it down when you were young, but your sass got you here’.”
Maybe that’s the real story here. Heart Evangelista isn’t living for the applause anymore. She’s living for the peace and joy of knowing that even when the lights go out and the camera stops rolling, she’s exactly where she wants to be.
