Dior pulls pictures of Bella Hadid in UAE, GCC
Model has been slammed for posting an image of her boot hoisted near UAE and Saudi logos
Photos of Bella Hadid have been removed from retail outlets in Dubai, after the model posted an image of her boot in the foreground of Emirates Airlines and Saudi Arabia Airlines logos last week.
Hadid, 22, visited The Dubai Mall in 2017 as the face of French luxury brand Dior. But her promotional images have been pulled across the UAE and the GCC after public outcry over an Instagram photo. In the image, now deleted from Hadid’s Instagram stories, her leg was hoisted near a window with her boot in the air; in the background, two UAE and Saudi aeroplanes are visible.
Christian Dior have removed images of model and brand ambassador Hadid from their stores in the UAE and the Gulf region, a representative confirmed with Gulf News tabloid!.
In a statement sent to tabloid!, the French luxury brand wrote: “For appeasement Parfums Christian Dior has removed its visuals of Bella Hadid in the GCC.”
UAE malls have also responded to the call to boycott Hadid.
“We uphold the values of our nation and Saudi Arabia with the highest respect and regard. We have brought the matter to the attention of the retailers to take appropriate steps,” said a spokesperson for The Dubai Mall.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Mall of the Emirates said: “A recent incident with a model for one of the brands at Mall of the Emirates is in no way associated with the mall, and does not reflect our values.”
The Mall of the Emirates Twitter account also confirmed that a scheduled Dior event has been cancelled.
American model Hadid, who is of Palestinian and Dutch descent, wrote a lengthy apology on her Instagram after her image caused uproar on social media.
“I have never and will never be the one to talk down on these countries… Only to spread love, and the true beauty of them, as the way I was taught by my Teta [grandmother] and my father,” wrote Hadid, whose father is the Palestinian real estate mogul Mohammad Hadid.
The model also claimed she did not notice the aeroplanes in the background of her photo.
“I want to send a sincere apology to those who ever thought I would put the blame on them, especially to Saudi Arabia and the UAE… This was never the case, and I hope you can understand the misunderstanding,” she wrote.
One shopper posted an image, in what seems to be a Sephora store in the UAE, where Hadid’s face appears to be censored with a black rectangle.