Gigi Hadid Says She’s Made to Feel ‘Too White’ to Stand Up for Arab Heritage

In a new interview with i-D, the 26-year-old model gets candid about their different heritages, and how they’ll teach Khai to “be a bridge for her different ethnicities.” Gigi is the daughter of Yolanda Hadid , while Zayn’s father, Yaser Malik, is British Pakistani.

“We think about it and talk about it a lot as partners and it’s something that’s really important to us, but it’s also something that we first experienced ourselves, because both of our parents are their own heritage,” Gigi explains.

“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,” she continues.

During another portion of the interview, Gigi also opens up about what it was like being pregnant amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It obviously felt weird during fashion month when I secretly felt so sick at work but you can’t take a sick day during fashion week!” she admits.

“There’s a bittersweetness because I know that obviously COVID-19 has been such a tragedy for so many people and families, and lives, and jobs,” she continues.

…Read the full story