Over the weekend, a number of reports surfaced online alleging that Bella Hadid had been stripped of her title as a Dior brand ambassador and replaced with Israeli model May Tager, who starred in the Parisian luxury brand’s most recent holiday beauty campaign. The news, which was originally shared by Turkey’s Yeni Safak before being picked up by other media outlets, swiftly swept across social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, igniting a wave of accusations against Dior, with numerous users alleging that Hadid’s departure was a calculated move, potentially influenced by her Palestinian heritage and unwavering dedication to the Palestinian cause.
i can’t believe dior dropped bella hadid as the face of their company and replaced her with an israeli model…do you guys understand how sinister that is? they’re not even trying to hide the face that it’s because she’s so outspoken about palestine
— ً (@oceansjonas) November 7, 2023
But as it turns out, Dior didn’t actually drop the Dutch-Palestinian model, who served as the face of Dior Beauty since 2016. In fact, the 27-year-old’s contract has been terminated for what appears to be some time now. Her last advertising campaign with the house was back in 2021 for Dior Beauty’s spring advertorial.
What’s more, cosmetics label Charlotte Tilbury tapped Hadid as its newest brand ambassador in March 2023.
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According to a press release at the time, the mega-model was selected as Charlotte Tilbury’s “beauty muse and beauty partner” in part for her “leadership in digital spaces.” The makeup artist behind the eponymous brand also shared the news on her Instagram, writing that she is “SO thrilled to reveal that the SUPERMODEL and global beauty ICON, @BellaHadid is joining Charlotte Tilbury Beauty!”
Meanwhile, Tager, who grew up in Israel, also starred in Dior’s holiday campaign last year.
Despite the rumors that Dior replaced Bella Hadid with an Israeli model being just that— rumors— many are still arguing that having Tager star in its holiday campaign is insensitive, given that the advert was released in the middle of Israel’s unrelentless bombardment of Gaza.
More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the past month– including thousands of women, children, and elderly, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
