Adidas, a popular sport shoes and clothing company has inflamed the hearts and minds of the global Jewish community after featuring supermodel Bella Hadid as the face of their 1972 vintage shoe release to promote the upcoming summer Olympics.
Bella Hadid who identifies as a second generation Palestinian (on her dad’s side) is prominently anti-Israel marking yet again the liability that brands take on when they hire antisemitic or racist celebrities that they cannot control. Kanye West was fired by Adidas and his profitable shoe campaign following a series of antisemitic remarks. It took a few weeks for Adidas to make the ack
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According to prominent X commentator Eli David, Adidas has a problematic history and “was founded by Adi Dassler, a member of the Nazi party who used to sign all his letters with “Hei| Hitler” at the end.”
“First unveiled in 1972, the introduction of the SL 72 sneaker was the spark plug that initiated a paradigm shift in the realm of running shoes,” the company said in a press release on July 15.
Adidas has issued an apology for “any upset or distress caused” by featuring Hadid in advertisements for its 1972 Munich Olympic sneaker relaunch. Adidas chose Hadid for its SL72 campaign, commemorating the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics by reviving their classic sneaker from the 70s.
The1972 Munich Olympics continued despite a Palestinian terror attack that killed 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer. For Jews around the round the choice of Bella Hadid was more than an oversight.
“I’m not afraid to lose modeling jobs and I will continue to speak up on Palestine,” announced Hadid. Her supporters on X show images of her holding a map of Israel saying “this is Palestine.”
Do you think Israelis are being oversensitive or should brands start using AI models to endorse their brands given the polarizing potential of celebrities who use their star status for political gain?
