Dutch-Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid won the model of the year award during the Fashion Awards 2022 at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Monday night, dedicating her award to Palestinian children.
Stylist Carlos Nazario accepted the award on behalf of Hadid, with an accompanying home video sent in by the model as she was not on the hand to receive the prestigious prize.
“Being the daughter of a refugee father from Palestine, and an immigrant mother from Holland, there’s a sort of work ethic that runs in our blood,” Hadid said in the speech.
“It’s not to be the best. It’s not to be better than others. It’s just to be able to succeed because our ancestors have never had an opportunity like this in their lifetime.”
“This is for the Palestinian children. This is for the Dutch children. This is for any child, immigrant or refugee,” said Hadid, who went on to thank her peers and “all the models that show up every single day and work hard with little or no recognition. I know it’s not easy.”
The 26-year-old daughter of Palestinian real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid and Dutch model Yolanda Hadid is vocally pro-Palestine, regularly celebrates her Palestinian heritage with her followers on Instagram and often uses the platform to shed light on Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
