Bella Hadid has addressed her involvement in Adidas' controversial Munich Olympics-themed advertisement that has faced significant backlash. On Monday, the model and activist shared her thoughts on Instagram, expressing her "disappointment in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign."
What is the Controversy?
Page Six reported that the brand, in July, released an ad featuring Hadid holding a "coveted classic" sneaker from the '70s. It was done to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics. However, the 1972 summer games were marred by tragedy in which11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer were killed by a Palestinian militant group.
There was a lot of backlash for engaging Hadid, who was vocal about her support for the Palestinians amidst the Israel-Hamas war, to promote Adidas' sneakers. Following the outrage, the brand not only apologized but also claimed that it would be "revising" the ad.
"Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign. These connections are not meant and we apologize for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world," the shoe brand had mentioned in its post on social media.
Hadid Says She is 'Shocked' and 'Upset'
In the social media post Hadid, whose father, Mohammed Hadid, is Palestinian, wrote that she would would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.
Claiming that she was "shocked" and "upset" by the association, the model said that she was unaware of the connection. "My team should have known, adidas should have known, and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up," she added.
"Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism," she wrote on Monday, "and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are."
The model also faced a lot of hatred on social media platforms. "Shame on you #bellahadid. Why don't you move to Gaza where you will no longer be able to procure the latest plastic surgery or sip arugula smoothies. Lying bitch. #adidas #hamasrapists #munich1972," tweeted a user on X.
"Of course she knew. At least she threw Adidas under the bus in her "apology"! Now watch Adidas come back and say "we didn't know! It was all Bella Hadid's idea!" That would be gold," opined another user.
