You probably know of the uproar that came about after Gigi Hadid was named the first cover star of Vogue Arabia. Her half Palestinian background only really became public knowledge when a Vogue cover was involved. Well Vogue Arabia are at it again, but this time it’s the other Hadid.
In Bella’s defence, she does look quite good on this cover. But, again, many question whether she deserves to grace it as she does not promote the lifestyle of a practicing Arabic Muslim woman, which is the same controversy Gigi sparked in March this year with her magazine debut.
This links back to FIB’s feature on Muslim women in the fashion and modelling industry. Click here to see the full post. Fashion in the Middle-East has very much struggled to make a name for itself. Fortunately for Arabian fashion lovers, Vogue Arabia is helping change this, with many thanks to women like Halima Aden who are redefining the industry one catwalk at a time.
Photographed by none other than Karl Lagerfeld, the magazine has two editions: Arabian and English. Generally, both covers show the same cover-girl, but sport different photo versions. In the Arabian issue, Bella is seen wearing full Fendi and a jet-black pixie wig with no hijab (which is not the case with Gigi’s cover). The English issue sees Bella in a netted fascinator and a high-necked satin dress, garments which – while modest- are not explicitly Muslim. Thus the latest issue continues to cause dissonance and bring up that age-old issue of authenticity for the magazine. Bella and Gigi are not considered authentic, practicing Muslim women, with the result that the Muslim fans of Vogue and fashion in general are not happy.
For more on Bella Hadid’s cover stardom in the September issue of Vogue Arabia, see the Vogue Arabia website here.
