Gigi Hadid Sparks Fashion Controversy With Fake Hijab On ‘Vogue Arabia’ Cover

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Gigi Hadid is back in the news and this time she’s the one at fault, or so say some of the supermodels critics, after she posed for Vogue Arabia’s new cover. The issue, which is due out on March 5, is to be the first for a new audience: those in the Middle East with a taste for fashion and luxurious living. As such, Vogue Arabia is set to establish new trends in fashion, beginning with Gigi Hadid donning a bejeweled, sheer white hijab. Teasing the issue, Vogue Arabia released an image for the cover of the upcoming inaugural issue, only to be included in the backlash, which was primarily aimed at Gigi Hadid.

Hidden Beneath A Hijab, Gigi Hadid Reveals Her Palestinian Roots

It seems there could be no better choice for Vogue Arabia’s first cover than Gigi Hadid, because, as E! News shares, the supermodel does come from the Middle East. More specifically, Gigi revealed that she’s half Palestinian in an Instagram posting. The post shares Gigi’s Vogue Arabia cover in which she’s seen looking seductively at the camera through the veil of her jewel encrusted hijab, which, unlike most hijabs, is not dark and opaque. Instead, Hadid wears a see through white sheer veil with her face only partially hidden by the jewels.

In captioning the image, Gigi credits Vogue for bringing fashion and the diversity of different cultures to all parts of the world, through the international editions of the magazine.

“Being half-Palestinian, it means the world to me to be on the first-ever cover(s) of @voguearabia, and I hope that this magazine will show another layer of the fashion industry’s desire to continue to accept, celebrate, and incorporate all people & customs and make everyone feel like they have fashion images and moments they can relate to… & learn and grow in doing so,” wrote Ms. Hadid.

Gigi closed her thoughts by thanking the Vogue Arabia staff for inviting her to pose for the magazine’s first cover, sending her love and best wishes for a successful launch.

Vogue Arabia Stirs Criticism Over Gigi Hadid’s Hijab

As Yahoo Style shares, everyone is not as open to bringing fashion trends to the Middle East as Gigi Hadid and the editors of Vogue Arabia are hoping. For evidence of this, one needs only to follow the magazine or the supermodel on social media, where critics have already called out the new magazine’s first cover for making light of traditional Middle East attire.

While Abdulaziz, the editor and chief for Vogue Arabia, suggests that Gigi Hadid was the perfect choice as the first face to tackle fashion in the Middle East, the public is not as accepting of Hadid. Some have suggested Middle Eastern notables, such as Sheikha Mozah or Queen Rania, or Saudi Arabian models might have been better choices for the new issue.

“Vogue Arabia just gonna be another Vogue. Not a win in the fight for diversity & representation we hoped. Princess Editor got it wrong,” tweeted one user.

The same user previously commented that Vogue Arabia, in targeting the Middle East, should be more in line with that society, instead of bringing in celebrities from western societies.

“Instead of a model wearing a fake hijab, you should have shown respect to the culture by showing a true iconic Arab fashionista,” tweeted A Fashionistas Diary.

“Gigi Hadid only claims her ethnicity when it’s time to post something controversial on instagram or to pose for Vogue Arabia,” writes a third Twitter critic.

In response, CEO and publisher Shashi Menon for Vogue Arabia has said that the magazine will feature 90 percent original content and editorial content will be published in two languages to make it more accessible. Menon went on to suggest that Ms. Hadid was perfect for the magazine’s cover, because she’s representative of the “marquee, high-gloss content in the region — across both print and digital” that Vogue Arabia seeks to bolster.

[Featured Image by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images]