The Reason Bella Hadid Says Many Jobs And Friends Turned Against Her

Bella Hadid is one of the world's most sought-after models and the reigning "It" girl of Gen-Z celebrity circles. Per Elle, you can find her stomping catwalks for high-fashion houses like Givenchy, Balenciaga, Moschino, and more, but she's made headlines for her activism work, too. Bella — who is half-Palestinian on her father, Mohamed Hadid's side — has become bolder in taking to social media to raise awareness of the rights of Palestinian people amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2020, she posted an Instagram Story of Mohamed's American passport with the caption (via People), "My baba and his birthplace of Palestine." When the post was removed due to a breach in "community guidelines on harassment or bullying," Bella took action, leading Instagram to apologize.

In 2021, Elle UK reported the model joined a pro-Palestine rally in NYC. In the wake of photos that showed Bella with a Palestine flag and chanting, "Free Palestine," the state of Israel condemned her on its official Twitter account, writing, "When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish state." Bella, her sister Gigi Hadid, and singer Dua Lipa were also the targets of an ad in The New York Times (via The Cut) that likened their pro-Palestine advocacy to "anti-Semitism."

Since the U.S. has long been pro-Israel, the backlash makes sense. But what does it have to do with Bella's modeling career? Turns out, a lot more than you might think.

Bella Hadid claims her advocacy for Palestine has cost her

On August 15, Bella Hadid sat down with "The Rep" podcast, explaining her outspoken advocacy for Palestine has cost her career opportunities and relationships. "I had so many companies that stopped working with me," she admitted. "I have friends that completely dropped me ... even friends I had been having dinner with at their home on Friday nights, for seven years, like now just won't let me at their house anymore." For Hadid, who's positioned at the epicenter of the fashion world, it's a humbling awakening. The model has had to come to terms with the fact that if she'd started speaking out for Palestine earlier in her career, she might not be the established superstar she is today.

Still, despite describing feelings of "anxiety" about saying or doing the "right thing," Hadid stands by her choices. "I know my family enough, I know my own history enough. And that should be enough," she said on the podcast. Clearly, Hadid isn't slowing her roll when it comes to supporting Palestine. In a June Instagram post, she wrote, "Everyday I wish I could go back in time to when I was a child, so that I could start fighting for Palestine sooner." According to Page Six, celebs like The Weeknd, "Game of Thrones'" Lena Headey, and musician Roger Waters have also thrown their support behind Palestine.

For Hadid, supporting Palestine is a worthy cause, even if it's a costly one.