# Ruth and May Bell

Ruth Alexandra Bell and May Constance Bell are British twin fashion models. Ruth Bell ranked as one of the "Top 50" models in the fashion industry by models.com, and currently ranks on their "Money Girls" list. May Bell won the Elite Model Look contest for England. Together they have appeared in campaigns and runways for Dior and Burberry.

## Early lives

The Bells were born in Kent, England to Cheryl and Mervyn Bell, a government worker and accountant, respectively, with Ruth being 2 minutes older. They have an older sister, Grace, and grew up in Dover. The family later moved to Walmer near Deal. Ruth had planned to join the Royal Air Force to be a pilot. They were educated at Dover Grammar School for Girls.

## Careers

They were discovered in Paris, France, by what turned out to be an Elite Model Management scout, though their mother was skeptical to let him speak to them. Ruth contacted him a year later and after May won the Elite Model Look London contest (she also placed in the top 15 internationally) they subsequently signed with the agency's New York division, The Society Management. At the beginning of their careers, May was treated as the more appealing model while Ruth was only called if a brand wanted to use twins. Ruth personally decided to shave her head, which threatened to breach her contract, though in a twist of fate Alexander McQueen and photographer David Sims requested for a girl to shave their head for a campaign, therefore solidifying her career. Masculine presentation is another factor of her decision to keep her hair short as she found long "pretty" hair to be a nuisance. In her first season, Ruth walked the runway for Gucci, Versace, Saint Laurent, Max Mara, Etro, Lanvin, and Dior. May Bell has appeared in Harper's Bazaar UK, Vogue Italia, and Vogue.
Ruth and May Bell played Jedha Servers in the Star Wars film Rogue One.

## Personal lives

Ruth Bell identifies as a butch lesbian.

## References and notes

* ↑ "Ruth Bell - Model".
* ↑ "May Bell - Model".
* ↑ "Top 50 Women". models.com. 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. The unstoppable Ruth came, cut (her hair), and conquered. Her ascent first began in the Alexander Mcqueen A/W15 campaign by David Sims. From there, the buzzed, baby-faced beauty became as wanted as the day is long. By 2016 Ruth became a ubiquitous face in slick editorials (Vogue US, Vogue Italia, Harper's US, Garage, V, i-D, Vogue Paris, the list goes on) and campaigns to boot like Zara, Jason Wu and Burberry Prorsum, the upshot of topping industry wish-lists.
* ↑ "Money Girls". models.com.
* ↑ "Elite's Next Generation". Harper's Bazaar UK. Hearst UK. 24 July 2013.
* ↑ Krentcil, Faran (4 October 2016). "#Twinning: The New Dior Muses On 2-For-1 Beauty". Elle.
* 1 2 "Meet Ruth & May Bell: London's hottest models - and twin sisters". Evening Standard. 5 March 2016.
* ↑ Ongley, Hannah (20 December 2016). "twins ruth and may bell star in maria grazia chiuri's first dior campaign". i-D.
* 1 2 3 Picardi, Phillip (23 April 2019). "How a Self-Proclaimed Butch Lesbian Became a Fashion Supermodel". Out.
* ↑ "model ruth bell talks shaving her locks and giving her cat a go pro". i-D Magazine. 26 October 2015.
* ↑ Tutthill, Graham (19 September 2013). "Seeing double for Ruth and May Bell of Dover at London Fashion Week's Sister by Sibling show". kentonline.co.uk. KM Group.
* ↑ "Why This Model Didn't Think Twice Before Shaving Her Head". Teen Vogue. 26 May 2016.
* ↑ Okwodu, Janelle (28 September 2015). "Meet Ruth Bell, the Model Everyone's Talking About". Vogue. Condé Nast.