Why Did Adidas Apologize for Its Bella Hadid Sneaker Ad?

This week, Adidas tapped Bella Hadid to help re-release its SL 72, a running sneaker that first debuted at the 1972 Munich Olympics. A retro sneaker, an Olympics fashion moment, a yeehaw fashion model holding a bouquet of flowers — what could go wrong? A lot, apparently, because Hadid appears to have been removed from the campaign after pro-Israel groups accused Adidas of antisemitism.

The allegations stem from a tragedy that unfolded during the second week of the 1972 Games, which saw the militant Palestinian group Black September kidnap and massacre 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. While the marketing does seem to reference the 1972 Olympics, there’s no explicit mention of the Munich massacre. For some, those origins make the presence of Hadid, a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, a huge problem. In a widely distributed statement, the American Jewish Committee described her as a “vocal anti-Israel model,” saying her presence in the campaign was “either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory.” Meanwhile, on X, the State of Israel accused Hadid of “spreading antisemitism” and “calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.”

.@Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.

Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history… pic.twitter.com/IgdGq2OLmd

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) July 18, 2024

To be clear, Hadid, whose family is Palestinian, has condemned terrorist attacks on Israel while criticizing the Israeli government’s violent attacks on civilians in Gaza. But for Adidas, a German company with historic Nazi ties that was one of the last brands to part ways with Kanye West after his string of antisemitic comments, these accusations were too much to bear. The brand swiftly released an apology and has reportedly removed Hadid from the campaign.

“We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologize for any upset or distress caused,” Adidas’s statement said. “As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.” Will they, though?

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