How Past Extreme Dieting Made Djuna Bel Realize Balance Is Key
The fashion industry can take its toll, but the model and stylist learned that the real meaning of wellness is moderation.
When you’ve worked in the industry as long as model and stylist Djuna Bel has, it can, at one point, take its toll. For her, it was at the beginning of her modeling career, when she dabbled with intensely limiting diets. “Before fashion week, my friends and I went on really extreme diets—we were going to castings, and that was really normal.” Now she’s much more focused on a holistic approach to wellness. “I’m at a point in my life where there is no reason to be extreme. Moderation really is the key, and living through those extremes really inspired my understanding between what is extreme behavior and what is not it.” Amen.
We sat down with her after photographing her closet to talk about what wellness means to her, especially now that she is expecting her first child, the beauty products that she can’t resist, and her go-to takeout order (when her boyfriend doesn’t cook).
What is your definition of wellness?
“Moderation is the ultimate foundation, but wellness is whatever feels good to you. For some people, they’re like, ‘I feel the best when I’m eating no sugar and no wheat and exercise five days a week.’ And that’s great! That’s totally amazing! For other people, their key to wellness is purely spiritual and maybe a little bit physical. I think it’s just finding your own path to wellness because there isn’t an answer for everybody.”
The healthy products she loves:
“I have such a routine, but lately I start my day with collagen protein and MCT oil and black tea and then vitamins. That’s amazing at keeping me going. But I’m also such a sucker for beauty products. I’m really into January Labs. They have a night resurfacing cream that I’m addicted to. I’m so sensitive to smells right now. The one body oil that I keep slathering on so I don’t get stretch marks is Balmyard Beauty Romantic Call—it smells like vacation. I haven’t even been to Jamaica, but it makes me think of a really sexy Jamaican night. For some reason it’s like the only smell that doesn’t get to me.”
The most extreme thing she’s tried in the name of wellness:
“I mean, I will literally do anything. I haven’t really messed around with needles, and it’s really more because of phobia. I’m totally open to Botox and filler, and I try to educate myself a ton. But mostly I stick to lasers and am really into LEDs. I still wear an LED mask when I travel, which I’m sure people think that I’m totally crazy.
What she’ll cook when she cooks for herself:
“I’m just so spoiled because my boyfriend has been cooking up a storm, and he’s so good. But when I cook for myself, it’s really basic. I make overnight oats. I can do breakfast. I can do breakfast all day long! When my boyfriend leaves town, it can be really brutal because I can basically go through an entire thing of bread in a day. I make various toasts. I’ll start off with avocado toast with an egg; later I’ll be nut butter and jelly. Later on, I’ll have like bread and butter. That is my go-to. Then for dinner I’ll make quinoa or salad. I’m really good at salads and really healthy things because that’s how I was raised. My mom never made meat for us and really never fish either. So I really don’t like cooking those kind of things myself, but I’ll do veggies. I’m really good at ordering out. [laughs]”
What is your favorite takeout order?
“I order noodles a lot. I’m really into ramen or a hunan. I also like Sugar Fish—it’s really expensive, but a very easy Postmates order, and I’m really never disappointed, so that’s kind of my go-to.”
What do you always keep on your nightstand?
“A good book and a phone charger.”
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