Gigi Hadid is the first model to grace the cover of Vogue Arabia, which launches this month, and it will come in two different editions - one in English, and another in Arabic.
The opportunity is something that Hadid is looking forward to. On an Instagram post, she shared, "Being half-Palestinian, it means the world to me to be on the first-ever cover(s) of Vogue Arabia."
The model, according to BBC, will be shown in a sequined headscarf for the covers. Sharing her thoughts on the issue, Hadid said that she found it beautiful for the magazine, as international as it is, to celebrate and share fashion with different cultures in the world.
While there have been some social media critics who preferred that the magazine use Arabian models for their future issues, the reaction to Hadid's covers have been mostly supportive. Saudi princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, the appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia commended Hadid on her work with the issue, saying that the model was able to "communicate a thousand words to a region" that has been waiting for Vogue for a long time.
The mixed reactions from media and the public, however, are somewhat to be expected. Just last month, Vogue came under fire when their diversity issue showed Caucasian model Karlie Kloss in clothing and make up that made her look like a geisha, which many viewed was a form of racial appropriation.
Still, the criticisms did not sway the magazine or Conde Nast International, it's publisher. Vogue Arabia in the magazine's 22nd international edition. Independent UK noted that Vogue Arabia actually launched online last autumn, but this month marks its first issue on print. It will be distributed not only in Saudi Arabia but in other Middle East countries as well, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
