Bella Hadid is a proud, Muslim American woman. And she’s not going to let Donald Trump, or anyone else, take that away from her.
Hadid’s father, real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid, was a Palestinian refugee. He moved to Syria and then Lebanon before eventually immigrating to the U.S. at only 14 years old. So when Trump tried to enact his first Muslim ban, she knew she had to take action,
“My dad was a refugee when he first came to America, so it’s actually very close to home for my sister and brother and me.”
She marched alongside her big sis Gigi Hadid, as well as a few friends in L.A.
And while Hadid may not be particularly religious herself, she’s still proud of her heritage.
“He was always religious, and he always prayed with us. I am proud to be a Muslim.”
With the exception of the Muslim ban protest, Hadid has largely been trying to stay out of the spotlight, which she has found overwhelming.
“You feel really overexposed and you don’t want to see anybody… I just want to be in my apartment alone and kind of retreat and be centered again.”
She’s only received more attention since her very public breakup with singer The Weeknd and his subsequent romance with Selena Gomez.
Nonetheless, the model says she’s just trying to stay on track.
“I’m just really focusing on myself, and my work, and just being the best that I can be. I’m not really worried about what guys think about me, I’m just trying to be a woman!”
