Gigi Hadid wants to remind her fans that she's proud of her cultural heritage. The 20-year-old model took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of her and some longtime friends' hands with some beautifully designed henna tattoos.
"Had the best night with some of my oldest friends last night. Feel so blessed to have a foundation of friendships that will bond us for the rest of our lives," she captioned the photo. "The way we can all sit around and talk like the clock's been turned back 10 years is the most beautiful and grounding feeling. It's so important to be with the families that raised you and the friends that were raised with yours. So much love in my heart this holiday season!!!! (& before you go all 'cultural appropriation' in my comments, check out the last name. Hadid. Half Palestinian & proud of it)."
Hadid's mother is "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Yolanda Foster and her father is Palestinian real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, according to E! News. She also has a sister Bella, who is also a model, and a brother Anwar.
The comment section was still filled with people criticizing Hadid for posting the photo, despite her justification, since she has never spoken out about Palestine in the past, according to Refinery 29. "If you're so 'proud' of being Palestinian, then why don't you prove it and take action by donating to Gaza?" one user wrote.
A photo posted by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on Dec 23, 2015 at 8:38am PST
