Bella and Gigi Hadid’s Mom Slammed Over Photo of the Victoria’s Secret Models as Naked Toddlers
Getting hired to walk in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show is a huge professional achievement for any model, so proud mom and former model Yolanda Hadid was understandably giddy when both her daughters–Gigi and Bella Hadid–were tapped to wear the Victoria’s Secret angel wings in this year’s show. The excited mom responded to the news in the most “Mom” way possible, and took to Instagram to share a cute picture of her daughters as toddlers, running around naked and wearing angel wings.
“17 years after I photographed my ‘Angels,’ Today is the day that they will be walking in the fashion show together,” she announced, adding the hashtag #ProudMommy.
Raise your hand if your mother would do the exact same thing. Mine would. My mother has been waiting 30 years for me to get famous so she can show my baby pictures on Ellen. That’s not an exaggeration; she has the photo album ready.
But as soon as Yolanda Hadid posted the photo, the pushback was swift and ferocious as people insisted the photo of the 3- and 4-year-old girls was weird, sexual, and inappropriate. The girls are naked in the photo, but they’re also three and four years old.
Commenters piped in to say that the photo was weird, sexual, and inappropriate.
”In a different culture and different era, maybe such a picture would be perceived as innocuous as it obviously is,” one commenter wrote, according to Teen Vogue’s Brittney McNamara. ”But it’s a picture that in this culture and era is problematic to have publicly disseminated like this and I believe you will ultimately take it down.”
Yolanda Hadid was pissed. She did not take the photo down, but she did snap back to say there’s nothing inappropriate about a 3- and 4-year-old running around naked.
”Anybody who sexualizes a innocent picture of 3&4 year old babies in angel wings has a serious problem in my opinion and should immediately unfollow me!” Yolanda said furiously. ”There is absolutely nothing sexual about this photo in my opinion but of course everyone has the right to their opinion but please only follow those who inspire you and leaving nasty comments on someone’s page while hiding behind a computer screen is something that needs to be looked at here not a baby picture that has a sentimental value to me.”
Yolanda did not delete the photo, but she did turn off the comments. The photo stays, though, because Yolanda does not think there’s anything wrong with it, and she’s not one to buckle under criticism from random people on the Internet.
For their parts, Gigi and Bella do not seem to have a problem with the photo. They’ve just been on their own Instagram accounts celebrating their Victoria’s Secret victory and talking about how much they love their mom.
