Now, American model Bella Hadid, who is half-Palestinian, is speaking out about the controversial Adidas campaign.
“I am shocked, sorry, and disappointed by the lack of sensitivity behind this campaign,” Hadid said in her first comment after the uproar, according to BBC.
Last week, the fitness equipment giant relaunched a vintage shoe model called the SL72s, which was originally made for the 1972 Munich Olympics.
There, 11 Israeli athletes and a German policeman were killed in a terrorist attack, later called the Munich Massacre, which was carried out by the Palestinian group Black September.
In a post on the X website, the Israeli official responded forcefully to the fact that Adidas had chosen a half-Palestinian model — who has also openly expressed support for Palestine and criticized the Israeli war in Gaza — to be the face of the school’s launch.
This led Adidas to remove Bella Hadid from the advertising campaign, claiming that the association with the 1972 Munich Olympics was unintentional. Advertising As for the shoes, they are still said to be inspired by the iconic 1972 design.
Adidas told AFP that the campaign, which featured Hadid in white training gear, red shoes and a bouquet of red flowers in her hands, would be reviewed.
Bella Hadid claimed in an Instagram Story post on Monday that she was unaware of the historical connections to the horrific events of 1972 before the launch.
I agree accordingly. Hollywood Reporter That neither she, her colleagues nor Adidas should conduct further research.
“I would never knowingly be involved in any form of art or work associated with a terrible tragedy of any kind. If I had known that, I would never have joined, with all my heart,” Hadid asserted in the post — where she also wrote:
– I will forever stand with my Palestinian people as I fight for a world free of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people.
“Organizer. Social media geek. General communicator. Bacon scholar. Proud pop culture trailblazer.”