Gigi Hadid will not be joining the Victoria’s Secret Angels in Shanghai, China to film the brand’s highly anticipated fashion show and some believe it is because the model was caught “mocking” Asians months ago.
According to a new report, the model suddenly announced on Thursday, November 16, that she would no longer be walking in the show despite having confirmed plans to do so months ago. In her statement , as TMZ revealed, the 22-year-old said she “won’t be able to make it to China this year.”
Gigi Hadid first appeared in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2015 and returned the following year. As fans of the model will recall, Hadid has long been a fan of the brand and has noted her role in their shows as a dream come true.
While Gigi Hadid said that she would not be featured in this year’s fashion show in Shanghai, she said that she would be with her fellow models in spirit and said she couldn’t “wait for next year!”
In her statement, Gigi Hadid didn’t explain why she wouldn’t be able to attend the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, but immediately after her announcement, fans began to suspect that she had bailed on the production due to the racial controversy she faced months ago after seemingly poking fun at Asian eyes on social media. As TMZ revealed, Gigi Hadid faced tons of backlash earlier this year after she was caught imitating a Buddha face, which some claimed was racist and insensitive to Asians.
In September, after the scandal broke, a source claimed Gigi Hadid was still planning to walk in the show but noted that the controversy had put a dark shadow on something that had previously been a dream come true.
“She’s extremely anxious that someone could get into the show and pull some sort of stunt that could embarrass her but she’s not going to let her fear hold her back,” the source told Hollywood Life at the time.
As for Gigi Hadid, the clip of her imitating the Buddha face was quickly deleted from social media, and shortly thereafter, she released a statement to her fans and followers, saying that the clip was “taken out of context” and insisting she had nothing but “appreciation and respect” for her Asian fans.
Gigi Hadid’s younger sister, 21-year-old Bella Hadid is still expected to appear in the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
[Featured Image by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]
