A day after the sports and fashion company Adidas announced the removal of the image of model Bella Hadid from the new shoe campaign, it seems that the Hadid affair refuses to die down. The American gossip site TMZ reported Sunday night that the 27-year-old model does not intend to give up. Sources close to Hadid said that she has hired lawyers to take legal action against Adidas.
According to the sources, Hadid claims that Adidas did not publicly address their responsibility as a brand, in what the model sees as a cruel and damaging campaign. They also added that Hadid is upset that the company launched a campaign that links anyone with the Munich massacre at the 1972 Olympics, since this is contrary to her values and opinions regarding violence. She also claims that, contrary to earlier publications this week about her termination of employment, she is still signed to a contract with Adidas.
Since Thursday morning, the Adidas company has been facing criticism from Israeli and Jewish sources, following its choice to cast the pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid in the campaign launching the SL72 shoe model. The shoes were first launched for the Munich Olympics in 1972, where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered in a massacre held in September of that year by the "Black September" Palestinian group.
The apology came almost immediately. "We are aware that links to tragic historical events have been created - although this is not at all intentional - and we apologize for any harm or distress caused," an Adidas spokesperson told the British Jewish News website. "As a result, we are re-examining the continuation of the campaign. We believe that sport is a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to promote diversity and equality in everything we do."
On Saturday it was reported that Adidas removed Hadid's photo from the campaign featuring the photographs of other celebrities, but it was too late. Adidas has already won an international round of public relations spin on the backs of consumers, Hadid, and especially on everyone who lives in the conflict zone in the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians alike.