Adidas Drops Bella Hadid from Campaign Following Criticism
In a bold move, Adidas announced on Friday that American model Bella Hadid would no longer be the face of their advertising campaign for sneakers linked to the 1972 Munich Olympics. This decision came after receiving backlash from pro-Israeli groups.
The German sportswear giant issued an apology for the controversy caused by selecting Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, to promote their relaunched SL72 sports shoes. Originally designed for the 1972 Games, these shoes have historical ties to a tragic event where 11 Israeli athletes and a German policeman lost their lives at the hands of a Palestinian militant group.
Criticism of the shoe’s relaunch surfaced last week, with the Israeli government and various Jewish organizations expressing their concerns on social media platforms. They questioned Adidas’ choice to feature Hadid in an advertisement for a shoe with such a sensitive history.
In response, Adidas acknowledged the unintended connections to past events and vowed to “revise” their campaign. They stated, “We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events, though these are completely unintentional, and we apologize for any upset or distress caused.”
Hadid’s public stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been well-documented, with the model voicing criticism of the Israeli government and advocating for Palestinian rights. In a notable Instagram post from last year, she condemned the military actions taken by Israeli authorities and highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The decision to remove Hadid from the campaign sparked a social media frenzy, with prominent voices like journalists Mehdi Hasan and Candace Owens coming to her defense. Calls for a boycott of Adidas emerged as supporters rallied behind the model.