Gigi Hadid Racism Controversy: Model Apologizes To China For Snapchat Video

Gigi Hadid is expected to walk in the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Since the annual runway show is set in Shanghai this year, Chinese netizens are not happy. They want Gigi out of the show, according to Cosmopolitan. They haven’t forgotten about that Snapchat video that showed the model making “squinty eyes” while holding a Buddha cookie. Chinese netizens are asking to have her banned from entering their country. Gigi is desperate to stay in the show, so she’s been apologizing profusely for the controversial video.

She is not receiving a warm welcome in Shanghai. Netizens accused Hadid of being “racist” by the way she handled a Buddha cookie. In the Snapchat video that surfaced earlier this year, Hadid is seen squinting her eyes next to the cookie. Some claimed that Hadid was imitating the religious symbol. Victoria’s Secret confirmed last week that their upcoming show will take place in Shanghai for the first time ever. Hadid announced on Instagram that she will be walking in the show.

Chinese people have not forgotten the Buddha cookie video. Some have been asking Victoria’s Secret to remove Gigi from the show. They also took to her Instagram account to let her know she is not welcome in China. Most of Gigi’s post has been spammed with Chinese writing and/or emojis, with many of the comments calling her racist. She has since disabled the comments on her Instagram announcement post.

Some are calling the Chinese government to ban her from entering the country. They have been spreading a link to the petition on social media. Gigi originally responded to the controversy to a fan on Twitter.

Now the 21-year-old has posted an official apology letter on the Chinese social media network, Weibo. Her apology has not been accepted. Netizens don’t think that Hadid was being genuine with her apology. They also noticed that she didn’t share the same apology to her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. While the incident took place in February, Hadid did not comment or apologize until now, when she’s scheduled to be in the Fashion Show.

Gigi Hadid was slammed by Weibo users who think she’s only apologizing because the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is in Shanghai. According to some users, she probably wouldn’t address the controversy and hoped that it would have been swept under the rug by now, according to Shanghaiist.com.

What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s too little, too late for Gigi Hadid’s apology? Sound off below in the comments section.

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

[Featured image by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images]