Bella Hadid posted a picture of her pointed shoe facing a Saudi Arabic and UAE aircraft. Just after she posted this tweet, it went viral, and people started accusing her of racism.
The sole of the shoe is regarded as a symbol of disrespect in Arab culture. If you point your shoe’s sole toward someone and something, then it means you are disrespectful.
People started criticizing her, #Bellahadidisracist gone viral. More and more people checked that tweet and started calling her racist.
The 22-year-old model realized her mistake and removed the picture from her account. But #Bellahadidisracist didn’t go anywhere.
She got many supporters who said that it might not be her fault.
@useyouhead1 tweeted:
“Is there a chance this was unintentional on her part? I’m from the West and I guarantee that a large majority of people here are not familiar with this being an insult. I’m just asking, trying to understand. #BellaHadidIsRacist’
@BatsysUndrstudy said,
“I can’t get over how ridiculous this #BellaHadidIsRacist trend is. Ignoring the fact that she OBVIOUSLY meant no harm, did we forget that earlier this year MBS LITERALLY MURDERED A US JOURNALIST???”
However, again, there are many who claim that Bella Hadid is spreading “hate.” Therefore, the model removed the picture and apologized.
She wrote: “This was an honest mistake on an early morning…”
…never, ever would I intentionally try to offend anyone like that. I am so sorry ..
She also shared a very long statement on her Instagram:
“The photo of my shoe on my story yesterday had NOTHING to do with politics. I promise. I never noticed the planes in the background and that is the truth. I would never mean to disrespect these airlines, let alone these amazing countries. I absolutely love these airlines, with the best planes and people.”
Hadid added: “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. I will be more responsible when bringing awareness to all causes, including my beloved Middle Eastern community.”
It might not be her intention to disrespect or spread hate for Saudis but many of her fans criticized her. Someone asked Dior to ban Bella Hadid and don’t work with her. This kind of over-reaction seems unhealthy given the fact that she might have no idea about Arab culture.
