A video has emerged on social media of a man grabbing Gigi Hadid around her body with both arms and lifting her up on the street during Milan Fashion Week. Hadid was leaving the Max Mara show earlier today with sister Bella when the incident happened. Although she appeared to have security staff with her, Gigi was left to defend herself, with Bella helping to try to remove the man’s hands from her body.
Gigi defended herself when a man grabs her after the Max Mara show. pic.twitter.com/IsHEkTkkER — Hadid News (@HadidNews) September 22, 2016
The man has been identified as Vitalii Sediuk, a Ukrainian media personality who has made a habit of physically — arguably sexually — harassing celebrities in the past few years. In 2012, he kissed Will Smith on the lips at a premiere in Moscow, and at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, he crawled underneath the skirt of America Ferrera’s dress, leaving her understandably shaken. Later in 2014 he pushed Kim Kardashian to the ground outside the Balmain show in Paris, and a few days later stripped to a G-string at the Valentino show and grabbed Ciara. Last year at the Louis Vuitton show he ambushed Miranda Kerr, pressing his lips against her cheek.
Unsurprisingly, the truly awful British tabloid press have been complete misogynists about the situation, positioning Sediuk as a cheeky “prankster” or excited fan, and Hadid as a crazed, violent woman who couldn’t take a joke. The Daily Mail went with, “Furious supermodel Gigi Hadid lashes out at fan and has to be held back by security after prankster lifts her up as she leaves Milan fashion show,” whereas The Sun reacted with a sensationalist and completely point-missing headline, “NOT MODEL BEHAVIOUR: Gigi Hadid aggressively lashes out and ELBOWS fan in the FACE after he tries to pick her up.”
THANK YOU Rachel.
To unknown article writer: fan?!!! The ACTUAL fans that were there can tell you what happened. I’m a HUMAN BEING — https://t.co/G7Pbp0G8yP— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) September 22, 2016
Rachel McGrath, an Entertainment Reporter at the Huffington Post UK, fixed The Sun‘s headline for them, tweeting an alternative: “GOOD FOR HER: Gigi Hadid Reacts In Totally Appropriate Way When Random Man Tries To Lift Her In The Street.” Hadid responded to McGrath, writing, “THANK YOU Rachel. To unknown article writer: fan?!!! The ACTUAL fans that were there can tell you what happened. I’m a HUMAN BEING — and had EVERY RIGHT to defend myself. How dare that idiot think he has the right to man-handle a complete stranger.”
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Text Charlotte Gush