You know by now that Gigi Hadid is one of the most famous supermodels in the world, and has been for some time.
But ever since she started to become successful, fronting ad campaigns for the likes of Fendi and Tommy Hilfiger while becoming a staple on fashion week and Victoria's Secret runways, Gigi has received a lot of flak from people who don't think she deserves to be where she is.
Appearing at an event in Sydney for a collaboration with Reebok, however, Gigi responded to the incessant criticism that she's only successful because of her parents.
"People say that I don’t deserve to be where I am because I come from this successful family, but my parents were fucking hard-working," Gigi began.
She continued:
My dad was a refugee, my mum was on a farm, went to New York and worked to send money back to her family. They worked their asses off and they’ve given me a life because of their hard work, and I work hard to honour that. I shouldn’t stay in my house because people say 'you don’t deserve to be here because they were successful'. That’s not how I consider it in my house.
Gigi also responded to the controversy surrounding a photoshoot she did for Vogue Arabia, which saw her wearing a hijab on the front cover. At the time, people criticised the decision to have Gigi front the first issue of the magazine, saying she was "using the title 'half palestinian' for [her own] benefit".
Speaking about the criticism, Gigi said: "When I shot the cover of Vogue Arabia, I was 'Arab enough' to be representing those girls, even though I’m half-Palestinian. I’m as Palestinian as I am Dutch. Just because I have blonde hair, I still carry the value of my ancestors and I appreciate and respect that."
She went on to reference her boyfriend, Zayn Malik, saying that she talks with him about what it means to be mixed race.
I talk about this with my boyfriend too, he’s half-Pakistani, half-English. I feel like when you’re mixed race, when you come from two different worlds, you get to see how both sides treat each other and you feel like the bridge of those two sides.