Gigi Hadid dropped from Victoria's Secret show after 'racist' video

  • 17/11/2017

Celebrity supermodel Gigi Hadid has dropped out of an upcoming Victoria's Secret fashion show in China, following a strong backlash to a video she featured in earlier this year.

The 22-year-old hit headlines in February, when sister Bella posted an Instagram video that showed her squinting her eyes while holding a Buddha cookie.

That triggered outraged tweets slamming her for a "racist joke" that "mocked Asians", and sparked a campaign from angry Chinese Victoria's Secret fans, who warned the lingerie brand not to bring Hadid to the Shanghai show or risk a boycott.

Hadid revealed in a Twitter post that she wouldn't be attending the show later this month, but didn't mention the controversy.

"I'm so bummed I won't be able to make it to China this year," she wrote.

"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!"

Hadid hadn't addressed the video since it was posted to Instagram, but boyfriend and former One Direction star Zayn Malik, who is of Asian descent, was forced to step in when criticism heated up.

He fanned the flames further, when he simply wrote, "Trust me... she likes Asians", but made amends in a follow-up tweet slamming racism.

Newshub.