Gigi Hadid Says She Feels ‘Too White’ For Her Arab Heritage

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Gigi Hadid walked in her mother’s Yolanda Hadid’s footsteps as a famous supermodel. 

Over the years, she has landed runway deals with different fashion homes, including the likes of Victoria’a Secret. She has also been featured on high-ranking magazine covers in different parts of the world. 

In essence, Hadid is a gorgeous, talented and hard-working celebrity, but that does not mean that she is not faced with personal challenges.

Find out more details below on how the supermodel is often conflicted by her mixed identities. 

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Jelena Noura Hadid was born on April 23, 1995 in Los Angeles California. Although she has lived all her life in the US, her parents have entirely different ethnicities. 

Her mother, Yolanda, was born and bred in the Netherlandsc until she moved to the United States to seek greener pastures as a model. 

Her father on the other hand, named Mohamed, was born into a Palestinian family. His parents relocated to Syria and later moved to the US. 

This was when he met Yolanda. The duo married and gave birth to three children. 

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During the recent bombing of Gaza by Israel, many celebrities around the world lent their voices and support to the Palestinians, telling them that they are not alone. 

Gigi and her sister Bella also showed support for the grieving population. 

Although they received criticism for this gesture, Gigi has never failed to show how proud she is of her heritage. 

She also expressed how confused she feels every time she needs to support one part of herself and leave the other part aside. 

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“In certain situations, I feel, or I’m made to feel that I’m too white to stand up for part of my Arab heritage,” the Vogue model told “i-D.”

She went on to explore this feeling by stating that sometimes, she wonders whether she fits in enough to be called a true member. 

Again, the supermodel addressed the fact that she doesn't know if speaking about an event would be okay because she does not “experience it enough.” 

While these connections keep happening to the model, she wants an entirely different lifestyle for her daughter. 

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In September 2020, Gigi and her long-time boo, Zayn Malik, welcomed their daughter named Khai. 

When the news of the couple’s newborn went viral, fans dropped in numbers to their official posts on Instagram to congratulate the new parents. 

Malik was born and bred in the United Kingdom, but his parents  are a mixture of Irish, English and Pakistani ethnicities. 

Still speaking to i-D,Gigi said she wants her daughter to grow up knowing that she is from a diverse background and proud of it.