Bella Hadid is speaking out about the major controversy surrounding her Adidas ad campaign for a sneaker for the Munich Olympics… and she says she didn’t do her homework.
The model responded to last week’s backlash in a lengthy statement posted to social media on Monday … saying she had no idea the 1972 Munich Olympics included a famous tragedy in which 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and murdered by Palestinian terrorists.
Bella explains that she was unaware of the historical connection between the ’72 Olympics and Adidas sneakers, adding… “I am shocked, upset and disappointed by the lack of sensitivity that has been shown in this campaign.”
What’s more, Bella says she never would have participated in the ad campaign if she had known about the Munich Massacre… and she says her team or Adidas should have known. She admits… she should have done her own research, too.
Bella adds… “While everyone’s intention was to do something positive and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding on all sides hampered the process.”
As you know… Adidas received a lot of criticism for using Bella as the face of the retro sneaker… with the American Jewish Committee saying the footwear giant made a “glaring error” in choosing “an openly anti-Israel model to memorialize these dark Olympics.”
Bella says she does not believe in hate in any form, including anti-Semitism, and adds… “Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign has unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are.”
07/22/24
TMZ.com
Despite a couple Adidas apologiesBella is advocating to consider taking action against the company… and now she’s explaining her side of the story.