https://instagram.com/p/BiDaOUwAve6
yesterday in nyc, anti-fur protesters crashed gigi hadid's m&g and held up signs reading 'gigi kills', 'animal abuser' and 'fur scum'. the protesters were swarmed by her security and removed from the premises. in the wake of the incident. people have been flooding her social media saying she deserves it for wearing fur.
gigi decided to respond, defending herself:
- says she respects what the protesters were trying to do, but thinks they went after the wrong target
- she doesn't wear fur and has made conscious decisions not to wear fur pieces lately
- although she's never spoken out publicly against fur, she figured not personally wearing fur would make people realise she doesn't support it
- she may have worn 1-off fur pieces in the past, but she's grown since + it was mostly for work
- she is saddened the meet&greet were ruined for her young fans who had been waiting to meet her and were scared by the altercation
- when the protesters pulled their signs out she immediately thought it was a weapon, since other celebs have been killed while doing public appearances in the past
video of the incident
https://instagram.com/p/BiF1Hb5F-8w
gigi's reponses
https://instagram.com/p/BiHu68Tg7wf
https://instagram.com/p/BiHyy5MAEKf
full transcript
“Hi guys :)
Yes you may have seen humiliation on my face, but I was mostly saddened and confused by the 'confrontation' because I have made a conscious effort not to personally buy or wear fur (my stylist is big into animal rights and also doesn't pull anything for me with real fur). I commend you for your passion to help all animals and respect that this work has changed fashion policies in the past, I am all for brands going fur free ! I also understand that this demonstration at my event brought a lot of publicity, which I get is the point... I just think you have bigger fish to fry than me seeing as I don't personally choose to wear fur. So that's what confused me ..?
But .. I was most sad that it ruined the day and event for the fans, young girls and children who waited for hours for the meet & greet, many of whom were also scared by what happened.”
“Maybe years ago I wore 1-off pieces that included fur, mostly for work I might add. No ones judging you for leather shoes you wore earlier in life... correct? So I think if you want to move your vision forward you should start judging people for the choices they are making NOW. Don't scare people to change for fear that they will still be judged and treated for ‘decisions’ they may not have even realized they were making in the past. I have never been the type to personally buy or wear fur pieces ... that's never felt right to me. If you were to walk into my closet you wouldn't see fur. That is my point. Really go back and try to find the last time I wore fur... u won't have an easy time. Then come back and try to tell me that I haven't taken a stance ?! Lol u don't know me.”
“I don't think I've ever 'promoted' fur or the fur trade in any way.... so that's a bit harsh. Maybe I haven't publicly spoken out against fur, I honestly have never really been asked... I thought not personally wearing fur was the way to make the statement that I do not support it... anyways, we all learn.”
“Side note! Although there were rumors that I was physically 'attacked' yesterday, I was not touched. I will say that. But, the way the protesters were handled by security was in direct correlation with how they chose to reveal what they were there to do. If they would have just come up to me and spoke to me directly about their concerns I think it could have been a really positive and enlightening conversation for both sides ... unfortunately there have been instances in the past where 'celebrities' have been injured and even killed during meet and greets and public appearances , it's sad but my first reaction to them pulling something out of their clothes was that it was a weapon... so security always has to expect the worst in these situations ... just wanted to clear that up for those asking”
sources: 1, 2, 3, 4