Supermodel Bella Hadid has issued an apology after fans accused her of insulting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on her Instagram stories.
The 22-year-old model post a photo of her boot up against an airport window, with the sole of her foot facing three planes, including one that was Saudi, and a UAE plane, which featured the country’s flags.
Fans accused her of disrespecting the Middle Eastern countries, which followed previous Instagram posts by Hadid that mentioned the New York Times story about alleged Saudi involvement in the Sudan unrest.
The hashtag #BellaHadidIsRacist followed shortly after, with fans threatening to boycott the major brands with Hadid works with, such as Dior, Fendi and Chanel – even reaching out to her modeling agency, IMG Models, to voice their displeasure.
Hadid apologized in English and Arabic on Twitter and Instagram Monday, saying that her post “had nothing to do with politics” and that she meant “no disrespect” to the nations.
The model, who is of Palestinian and Dutch descent, vowed to be “more responsible when bringing awareness to all causes, including my beloved Middle Eastern community.”
