Bella Hadid made headlines when she posted a photograph on Instagram that many saw as racist.
Amid hashtags on Twitter and calls for cancellation, Bella released a statement.
Here’s everything that happened.
Bella found herself in hot water twice this week.
And both instances involved her Instagram stories.
The first instance involved her posted a screenshot of an [opinion piece] by The New York Times , subtitled, “Why Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are backing military leaders who kill demonstrators.”
She deleted the story quickly.
The article was an opinion piece that pointed fingers at Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, accusing them of backing violent responses to protestors in Sudan.
Backlash caused her to delete the post.
She then posted a different message to her main Instagram page.
This message, free of any mention of Saudi Arabia or the UAE, instead voices her support for the protestors in Sudan.
She added ways to help in her Instagram stories, and that was the end of that.
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Or so we all thought.
Bella then got in even more trouble.
She walked for Versace men’s SS20 (Spring/Summer 2020) collection in Milan.
After she was done with both her runway shows, she headed to the airport to begin traveling again.
That’s where the trouble started.
She announced she was flying via Instagram story.
She posted this picture, which shows her heeled boot propped up against an airport window.
The planes behind her boot are planes from — you guessed it — Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
People immediately reacted.
This was taken as a sign of disrespect.
While some outlets reported that it looked like Bella was “kicking” the planes bearing flags, the actual issue is Bella’s shoe sole.
According to The National , showing the sole of a shoe is an insult to whoever it is directed at.
Some people think what happened to Bella is ridiculous.
While some people are claiming Bella is a racist and should lose her brand sponsorships, other people think this is another case of people online being too sensitive.
#BellaHadidIsRacist started trending.
Angry fans took to social media to express their discomfort at the perceived insulting gesture.
Some went as far as to throw out their designer goods from brands that Bella models for.
The implication is offensive.
According to Ali Al Saloom, who answered a question on the subject:
“One of the main reasons why such an action is perceived as an insult is because the feet are often perceived as unclean, especially the soles.”
Others tweeted brands to choose.
For some, they wanted the brands to make a choice: did they want their money, or did they want to keep Bella?
More products went in the trash, many of them mostly unused.
Bella issued an apology.
She said, “I would never want my posts or platform to be used for hate against anyone especially those of my own beautiful and powerful heritage.”
She also posted her apology in Arabic.
She also addressed why she took the photo.
“The photo of my shoe had nothing to do with politics. I never noticed the planes in the background and that is the truth. I would never mean to disrespect these airlines.” She wrote.
Another tweet was posted to clarify her final stance on the situation.
Sometimes mistakes happen, right?
Some fans supported her.
Outpourings of support came from many people who believed the picture was not intended to be offensive.
Some felt that the hashtag was immature, while others obviously thought it was necessary.
Others were not so forgiving.
It looks like some former fans will not be supporting her in the future.
It’s certainly not for us to decide who should and shouldn’t forgive something they were hurt by.
