Gigi Hadid Not Walking On Victoria's Secret Fashion Show In China: Is It Because Of Her Racist Comments?
The 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will be taking place in Shanghai, China, in less than two weeks but the lineup will not include supermodel Gigi Hadid.
The 22-year-old took to Twitter to announce that she will not be walking the runway along with sister Bella, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Karlie Kloss among others at the big annual event this year, which kicks off on Monday, Nov. 20.
I’m so bummed I won’t be able to make it to China this year. Love my VS family, and will be with all my girls in spirit!! Can't wait to tune in with everyone to see the beautiful show I know it will be, and already can't wait for next year! :) x
— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) November 16, 2017
In August, the model revealed on Instagram that she would be walking the ramp at this year's VS show in Shanghai.
"Forever and ever and ever a dream come true to be asked back to the VS Show!!!," Hadid captioned a picture of herself in an outfit from last year's show. "Thank you my friends @ed_razek @10magazine @johndavidpfeiffer @monica.mitro for another unforgettable opportunity; every aspect makes me feel like a dreaming kid again."
Gigi Hadid's Visa Denied?
Although Hadid did specify the reason behind her absence at this year's VS show, speculation suggests that the supermodel was denied a Chinese visa along with four other models. These include Julia Belyakova, Kate Grigorieva and Irina Sharipova from Russia and Dasha Khlystun from Ukraine.
Rumors have it that Hadid has been denied entry into China after she mocked Asians in a social media post back in February. As previously reported, the post shared on Instagram showed the model holding up a chocolate dessert shaped like a sumo wrestler's face and imitating the face by squinting her eyes.
Model Apologizes For 'Racist' Post
The said post sparked a backlash from citizens of China who accused her of being insensitive and racist. Hadid reignited the controversy when she announced that she's coming to Shanghai for the VS show this year.
The hashtag "GigiGetOutofChina" started trending and Hadid was forced to disable comments on her Instagram after being flooded with outraged posts and issued an official apology on China's Twitter-like microblogging platform Weibo in September.
"It hurts me to hurt anyone, and I want you all to know that it was never my intent to offend anyone through my actions and I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt or felt let down by me," she wrote in her apology. "I have the utmost respect and love for the people of China and cherish the incredible memories I have made while visiting in the past."
