Last week, while minding her own business leaving the Max Mara show, Gigi Hadid was forcibly grabbed and manhandled by Vitalii Sediuk, a Ukrainian media personality who has a history of jumping celebrities. Being the superhero that she is, Gigi fought back; she elbowed Sediuk and broke free from his grip. She attempted to follow him after the assault, but was held back by her security personnel.
No sooner had videos of the incident surfaced, numerous articles began to surface, and criticize the model for her actions. “NOT MODEL BEHAVIOR,” wrote The Sun, “Gigi Hadid aggressively lashes out and ELBOWS fan in the FACE after he tries to pick her up.”
In response Gigi has penned an open letter in Lena Dunham’s polemical newsletter Lenny in which she describes her thoughts at the time and the message she hopes people will take from her actions. “I remember taking the time, as it all felt slo-mo, to look at him, a stranger, and my first reaction was: ‘Get me out of this situation,'” she says. “I played volleyball, and my coaches talked about muscle memory. I started boxing two years ago and I always remembered that. Since then, I hadn’t been in a situation that forced me to fight back, but it just came out when he grabbed me — it wasn’t a choice. I do have that fighter in me.”
Addressing her numerous fans and followers, the model makes a plea for all young girls to have the courage to stand up and fight back, if ever they feel they are in danger. “I want girls to see the video and know that they have the right to fight back, too, if put in a similar situation. Practicing self-defense is important so that when you’re in the moment, reacting from muscle memory comes more naturally to you than freezing up. Confidence in your own ability to defend yourself comes with educating yourself about it, and is a massive advantage when in an unsafe situation.”
So, yeah, what Gigi did — the way she stood up for herself against a male threat — isn’t your average model behavior. It’s role model behavior, and we couldn’t commend her more for it.
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Mitchell Sams