Model Bella Hadid issued a statement after starring in a controversial Adidas
campaign that the sportswear company said had an “unintentional” connection to a bloody terrorist attack.
“I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign,” the U.S.-born Hadid said in a statement shared on her Instagram story on Monday evening.
The ad campaign for Adidas’ new retro sneakers, called the SL72s, was a nod to the 1972 Munich Olympics. Released earlier in July, the advertisement featured Hadid holding a bouquet of flowers while wearing the shoes, which originally debuted in 1972 for the Munich Games.
But that year’s games are widely known for the dark tragedy that took place in Munich’s Olympic Village: An attack committed by a Palestinian group called Black September, who killed two Israeli athletes on Sept. 5, 1972. Nine others who were taken hostage later died during a failed rescue attempt.
Backlash in response to the Adidas campaign was immediate, as were attacks directed against Hadid, who is half-Palestinian and has advocated for Palestinian rights and donated money to relief efforts in the Gaza Strip. Hadid said she was not aware of the connection to the historical events of the 1972 Munich Olympics, and that she would not have taken part in the campaign had she known.
“I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind,” said the 27-year-old Hadid, who has also worked as the face of Dior.
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