David Fisher/ShutterstockGigi Hadid is ready for a change.
During an Instagram Live with chef Sophia Roe on Wednesday, the mom-to-be called on her fellow models to speak up about injustice, recalling times where she could have been a better ally in the past.
"It's also not about just like talking to the Black and brown people in your life and therefore figuring it out," Hadid said. "It's also having that moment of self-reflection and, like, an honest conversation with yourself and a moment of thoughtfulness where you're like, ‘Where in the past have I…' Like, even without—not that it came from a place of malice, like, ‘Where have I been in situations where I could have done better?'"
"And I think that that's something that, like, me, especially in fashion with specific friends that I've, in the moment, felt like, ‘Okay, I was there for them,'" she continued. "They came to me after they were treated this way at a fashion show or whatever and I was there to listen and whatever. And maybe in the moment, I felt like…I wasn't in the place where I could fix that or help them with it."
Still reflecting, Hadid then said that she will be using her "privilege" to fight for those facing injustice.
"And now, to go back this week and be like, ‘Hey, in the future, I don't know what it is gonna be that I'm gonna do better, but like, I'm gonna try harder and I'm gonna figure it out,'" she explained. "And like, ‘I could have maybe figured out a way to use my privilege in a way that fought for you better instead of just being there to listen.' Like, maybe that wasn't enough."
She concluded, "I think that that self-reflection and realizing that we're not always doing a good job even if it didn't come from a place of trying or not wanting to caring about what they were experiencing, it's just that, like, next time I'm going to try harder to do more."
Speaking to how recent events have changed her outlook, Hadid encouraged individuals who work in industries beyond the modeling world to use their voice.
"The uncomfortableness is the point and, like, this has been something that I've dealt with—I mean, you're talking about the system generally overall, but I think that whatever industry anyone works in, they've experienced something like this," she said. "It's not like, I'm just now feeling bad for times where I haven't been able to stand up for myself in the times where I knew something wrong was going on on set, for example. But now, I can say that in that time, I learned from not standing up for myself when I didn't follow my intuition."
Addressing viewers, Hadid continued, "Now, it's a time where you can come out and say—if there's any 17-year-old models watching—if you're in that situation, do what you think is right. Don't ask other people for support; you don't need it. Do what you think is right in the moment and feel strong about it because it always will represent you in the end and it's not something to be ashamed of if you have that feeling."
Relating back to her past experiences, she added, "I've been in situations where I knew it was wrong, but I didn't think that I was allowed to have those opinions because ‘the industry of fashion' scared me. And I think that probably in a lot of work spaces you don't feel like you're successful enough—you have been there long enough—to have a voice that way and you do."