October 14, 2024, 7:09 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
In a beauty talk with STYLEBOOK, Barbara Meier talks about her red hair, among other things. How it has become her trademark, how it has helped other young girls and her hair care routine.
Barbara Meier’s signature red hair is undoubtedly one of the keys to her successful modeling career. STYLEBOOK caught up with the model, actress, and sustainable fashion ambassador during the launch of her “Angermaier Greenline” dirndl collection. During the conversation, they discussed her experiences with bullying, beauty faux pas, and undergoing a complete transformation.
Overview
Barbara Meier on her hair
Barbara Meier was crowned the winner of the second season of Germany’s Next Topmodel winner in 2007. Since the beginning of her career, she has stuck to her look, which has become her trademark. There have been no major visual experiments, even though she herself has flirted with a short blonde hairstyle. She revealed in an interview: “I once had a shoot with Armin Morbach, and he said he wanted to show me in a completely different way. He had put wigs on me, and there was a short blonde wig. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought the look was so cool. I said I’d go out tomorrow morning and cut my hair short and dye it blonde.”
Despite the euphoria of a complete change of style, it never happened. Barbara Meier is too attached to her hair. “I like long hair, but there are often times when I think it would be easier, especially with two small children. Styling would be much quicker because the longer it is, the harder it is. But I’ve never really thought about it seriously. It’s also my trademark.”
Hair brought Barbara Meier fewer but cooler jobs
Barbara Meier herself would never have thought that her red hair would be such a big issue. She didn’t experience any bullying. However, after her GNTM victory, she realized that other children and young people did have to go through such experiences. “After my Top Model win, many mothers approached me and said that their children were teased because of their red hair. And that they had become more self-confident as a result of my win and were more open about their hair,” recalls Barbara Meier. “Or a girl once wrote to me saying that she didn’t dare go swimming in the past because of her fair skin. But since I started posting bikini pictures, she’s dared to go.”
She continues: “But I also get messages when I post a bikini picture, saying ‘Your skin is too white, you’re too light and it doesn’t look nice’. It doesn’t affect me deeply, but it does hurt me. No one should actually be criticized for their appearance,” says the 38-year-old.
However, her striking hair color was always an advantage in modeling, explains Barbara Meier: “I often didn’t get the big jobs; they often wanted someone who was easier to identify with. I got fewer jobs, but I got the cooler jobs where they were looking for more unusual people.”
“I don’t usually remove my makeup”
Speaking of hair, Barbara Meier’s is long, thick and healthy. She has never dyed it or worn extensions. But she admits to not having a special routine: “I just have a shampoo from the drugstore, which is not expensive and has nothing special in it. I don’t use any special treatments; I simply use shampoo and conditioner. Sometimes, I use a heat protectant before styling, but I usually forget to do that.”
Another beauty sin that she says she commits “almost every day”: “I know I should be a role model, but I usually don’t remove my makeup,” the model confesses and goes on to explain: “My problem is that I think I’ll do it every day when the children are asleep. But then I lie in bed with them, in a dark room, listening to sleep music, and then I fall asleep with them – or even before them. When I wake up around 11 pm and join my husband, I end up not removing my makeup. I think to myself, then the next day, when I take the children to nursery, I’m already wearing makeup. It’s not good; I already know that.”
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Sun protection is the be-all and end-all
Even if Barbara Meier is a little more careless with her hair and skin, there’s one thing she never does without – sun protection! “Everyone needs sun protection, but I need it above all because I get sunburnt quickly,” she explains.
Another absolute must: regular check-ups. “I also make it a point to visit the dermatologist annually for a thorough check of my numerous moles. I also had to have a mole cut out once, but everything was fine.”