Gianna Borrello is a biopsychology student, model, actress, and mental health advocate. As the founder of Shameless Mental Health Matters, she combines science with self-expression to challenge stigma and embody modern femininity.

Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam (HBZVN): Gianna, you manage to combine science, social activism, a successful modeling career, and acting. You study at a prestigious university, conduct research, and founded a nonprofit organisation focused on addressing eating disorders. You’re taking on a lot. Have you ever felt societal pressure to “be perfect”? And what inspired you to create Shameless Mental Health Matters?

GIANNA BORRELLO: Absolutely. There’s this unspoken expectation, especially as a woman navigating both academia and the fashion industry, to present yourself as flawless—intellectually, emotionally, physically. It’s exhausting. I’ve definitely felt the pressure to “be perfect,” but I’ve also come to realise that perfection is performative. What inspired me to create Shameless Mental Health Matters was witnessing the silent battles so many people, especially young women, face behind curated lives. I wanted to create a space where people could speak openly about eating disorders, identity, and shame without apology. Shamelessness, to me, is not the absence of vulnerability, but the power in owning it.

HBZVN: How has your experience in the modeling industry influenced your perception of body image and body positivity? What stereotypes about women in science and modelling would you like to break?

GIANNA BORRELLO: Modelling definitely changed the way I think about body image, both for better and for worse. Being in front of the camera all the time made me more aware of how much our worth, especially as women, is tied to appearance. And honestly, there were moments where it really challenged my confidence. But studying science—especially how the brain processes self-image and emotion—gave me this new perspective. I started realising that so many of the standards we’re held to are manufactured, and they’re not rooted in health or reality.

I think a lot of people still believe that if you’re a model, you can’t be serious, or if you’re a scientist, you have to hide your femininity. I want to break that. You can care about fashion and also be deeply invested in research. You can show up to a lab in lipstick. You can love data and still love your body. We don’t have to choose, and I think the more we allow people to be fully themselves, the better we all are for it.

HBZVN: You’re studying biopsychology and working on compatibility in romantic relationships. Have there been any surprising insights from your research that you can share?

GIANNA BORRELLO: One of the most eye-opening things I’ve learned studying romantic compatibility is how much of our behaviour in relationships is rooted in subconscious patterns. We tend to think we’re making choices based on logic or even “gut feelings,” but a lot of it is our brains repeating familiar dynamics, especially if we haven’t processed past experiences. For example, people often mistake anxiety or emotional unpredictability for “chemistry,” when in reality, it might be their nervous system responding to a type of chaos that feels familiar.

HBZVN: The research project you’re involved in—creating sperm cells from stem cells—sounds like science fiction. In your opinion, can biotechnology reshape the future of reproductive medicine and relationships as a whole?

GIANNA BORRELLO: Well, creating sperm from stem cells once belonged to the realm of science fiction, but now it’s becoming science fact. Standing at the edge of that reality in the lab is nothing short of transformative. Biotechnology is not just advancing reproductive medicine; it’s radically rewriting its boundaries. Fertility may no longer be limited by age, gender, or biology as we’ve known it. For those who have been excluded—individuals with infertility, cancer survivors, same-sex couples—this isn’t just innovation. It’s liberation.

But with this power comes profound responsibility. If we can create life outside of nature’s script, then we must ask: What becomes of legacy? Of family? Of the meaning behind genetic connection? These technologies are not just technical milestones—they are philosophical provocations. They challenge our deepest assumptions about identity, lineage, and love.

HBZVN: What does acting give you—is it a form of self-expression, an escape from science, or another tool for understanding the human mind.

GIANNA BORRELLO: Acting, for me, is less of an escape from science and more of an extension of it. Both disciplines are rooted in observation—studying patterns, motivations, and the complexity of human behaviour. When I act (and model or work with brands), I’m able to embody what I so often analyse in a lab: fear, desire, attachment, transformation. It’s a deeply personal form of inquiry that lets me step inside experiences I haven’t lived, which in turn expands my empathy.

In a way, acting makes my research more humane. It reminds me that behind every data point is a story, a person, a pulse. And when I return to science, I carry that awareness with me.

Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam