Bella Hadid hasn't had things go in her favor with Saudi and Emirati social media users since a post shared last week. But, it seems the situation has gone from the online world to real "offline" consequences.
Last week, the supermodel posted an Instagram Story which many believed to be an insult to the Gulf nations. The 22-year-old was accused of insulting both Saudi Arabia and the UAE after posting a photo capturing the sole of her shoe facing airplanes carrying the two nations' flags. Following the backlash - which came in the form of an intense hate-filled campaign on Twitter - the model apologized, claiming she hadn't noticed the flags in the background.
She also chose to remind people of her pride in her Arab and Muslim heritage, having been born to a Palestinian father. But, it seems as though her apology fell on deaf ears. The UAE's largest shopping mall, The Dubai Mall, reassured users that the matter has been brought to their attention and that they will take the "appropriate steps."
Hadid visited The Dubai Mall in 2017 as part of a marketing campaign for French luxury brand Dior. In a statement to Gulf News, a representative at Dior confirmed they have pulled the model's images from their stores in the UAE and the Gulf region.
"For appeasement, Parfums Christian Dior has removed its visuals of Bella Hadid in the GCC," the representative told Gulf News.
A couple of videos of an advert of Hadid being removed have been circulating online. However, it remains unconfirmed where the videos were actually shot.
Video #1:
Video #2:
Mall of the Emirates also issued a statement on its Twitter account in which it reassures the public that the incident with "a model for one of the brands at Mall of the Emirates is in no way associated with the mall."
The mall also confirmed that it has since canceled a planned event with Dior, in response to demands online.
One Emirati blogger, who goes by the name Banat Zayed, shared a photo claimed to be taken at Sephora in Dubai. In it, the model's face seems to have been covered with a black rectangle.
However, the photo's credibility remains to be confirmed.
The blogger is demanding Dubai Airports take down the photos as well
Believing Hadid had intentionally positioned her foot against the Arab flags, in particular, many of her Arab followers lashed out against her. They spammed her photos with comments describing her as racist and even threatened to boycott the brands she works with.
Her intentions seem to be in their place, or so one can assume. But, in a world dominated by social media users, it's pretty tough to get out of trouble once users have waged a war against you. So, let's see how this will continue to play out for Bella Hadid elsewhere.
