After months of speculation, it has finally been officially confirmed that the the yearly Victoria’s Secret fashion show will take place in Shanghai, China on November 28. Twenty-seven models have already been confirmed, with 13 new faces and 14 official angels comprising the lineup. Thrown into the mix is Gigi Hadid, a casting decision that has caused controversy among Asian fans of the show. Today, she posted on her Instagram (with disabled comments) a video of herself in black lingerie and the infamous angel wings, captioning, “Forever and ever and ever a dream come true to be asked back to the VS Show !!!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYWTy4Zgecb/?taken-by=gigihadid
The reasoning behind the controversy is because last February, a video posted by her sister, Bella Hadid, was posted on snapchat where you can very clearly see Gigi Hadid squinting her eyes whilst holding up a Buddha, obviously mocking him. She was accused of racism after widespread outrage but didn’t respond to any of the criticisms.
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
https://twitter.com/uycutie/status/903124752272723968
https://twitter.com/hiddlesxlwt/status/903264420142436353
One Twitter user wrote, “We do not want Gigi Hadid come to China. She is racist. Get out of China Gigi do not come to China we do not welcome you.”
https://twitter.com/summerzhangtian/status/902771246718476290
While many are outraged, few seem surprised by this situation. This incident isn’t the first time Hadid has faced criticism for being racially insensitive, as just last year in November, at the American Music Awards, she mocked Melania Trump’s accent while holding her face in an almost grimace-like manner.
After facing backlash for the impression, she issued an apology stating, “I was honored to host the AMA’s last night and to work with some of the most respected writers in the business. I removed or changed anything in the script that I felt took the joke too far, and whether or not you choose to see it, what remained was done in good humor and with no bad intent.”
She continued, “I too have been the center of a nationally televised comedy skit that poked fun at my actions and was able to find humor in it. I believe Melania understands show business and the way shows are written and run. I apologize to anyone that I offended and have only the best wishes for our country.”
https://twitter.com/GiGiHadid/status/800896593473875968
