Gigi Hadid bows out of Victoria's Secret fashion show
SHANGHAI — Gigi Hadid will be sitting out the Victoria's Secret fashion show in China. The model walked the Victoria's Secret runway in 2015 and 2016, but she wrote on Twitter that she will not appear at this year's show.
The announcement comes a few months after Chinese internet users accused her of racist behavior.
Hadid said in a post on her Twitter account: "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!!"
Hadid did not give a reason and Victoria's Secret refused to comment on the issue.
"Victoria's Secret will not have a response," a spokeswoman said by email.
The surprise exit comes months after Bella Hadid posted a video of her sister squinting her eyes, appearing to make fun of Asian people, on Snapchat in February. The video set off a firestorm on Chinese social networks. Gigi Hadid's boyfriend Zayn Malik defended her on Twitter.
Hadid responded by apologizing in September on China's popular Twitter-like microblog site, Weibo. "I have learned to be very careful of how my actions can come off or be portrayed, and I'm hopeful you'll accept my apology," the post said.
It was not immediately clear whether Hadid had been denied a visa. Asked about this at a regular briefing, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry said he was unclear about the issue.
Fashionista reports that several other models are also no longer appearing in the show, including Julia Belyakova, Kate Grigorieva and Irina Sharipova from Russia, and Dasha Khlystun from Ukraine.
It is not uncommon for entertainers and performers to be denied visas by Chinese authorities for political reasons.
Most recently, as tensions rose between China and South Korea over a U.S. missile defense system, some K-pop and K-drama stars had to cancel widely anticipated visits to China due to visa delays.
South Korean actor Ha Jung Woo could not get a visa needed for a movie project with China called "The Mask," starring Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.
The Victoria's Secret fashion show will air on Nov. 28 at 10/9c on CBS and CBS All Access.
