Gigi Hadid has said she has nothing but “appreciation and respect” for her Asian fans following the backlash for her racist video.
Earlier this week, Hadid announced she would be returning to the Victoria Secret Show later this year in Shanghai. The announcement resulted in a backlash from the Asian community, which had not forgotten the model’s racist Buddha video that Chloe Bennet called “ignorant and racist”.
this is y’all woke palestine queen? Gigi out here mocking Asian people. i would say she’s cancelled but she never started. rat @GiGiHadid pic.twitter.com/b6wj5k1sXE
— . (@hvrrystime) February 5, 2017
Many of the responses to Hadid’s VS announcement reminded her of the hurt she caused to the Chinese community. “We like some people who respects us, not you,” one comment read. “What you have done made us unhappy. And Chinese do not welcome you. So don’t come to China. [sic]”
Another simply wrote “you are not welcome in Shanghai,” whilst another bluntly branded the model a “racist”.
“Why did slant eyes without apologize? Now digging money from China. Ridiculous [sic],” another comment read.
Hollywood Life reports that Hadid responded to the criticism, claiming she has nothing but “admiration and respect” for her Asian fans and that the “video was taken out of context“.
In a private message to a fan, the 22 year old model wrote, “The photo that was taken from the video was taken out of context and attached to a headline to make it something that it definitely wasn’t.”
“It saddens me that people were hurt because someone else created a story line of what happened there.. and that it will somewhat stick around because it’s on the internet but all I can do to prove myself is to show people who I am.”
“I spent time in China right before and had a great time, and I show & have nothing but appreciation and respect to my Asian fans! I hope people can judge me from their own experience of me and realize that others can twist anything on social media to make a scenario where there really wasn’t one.”
Gigi Hadid’s personal letter explaining her previous discrimination against asians was because she was coming to China for a show pic.twitter.com/xIuh3vKVQT
— Harry (@xoxoMrQiQi) August 30, 2017
