Last week, reports of Dior replacing Bella Hadid with Israeli model May Tager swept over social media, igniting calls to boycott the French Maison.
The Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak initially shared the news via Instagram, stating, “Dior replaces Palestinian-origin Bella Hadid with Israeli model as brand ambassador,” sparking global outrage. The claim, however, could not be further from the truth.
Hadid–who has never shied away from vocalizing her support for her homeland, Palestine–released a statement on October 23 condemning the loss of civilian lives in Gaza and calling on her followers to demand a ceasefire. In the days that followed, Dior released its holiday campaign featuring Tager as one of the many models. The two events seem to have been linked together by social media users, birthing the rumors of Hadid’s replacement.
A simple Google search proves that Hadid was appointed as the face of Dior Beauty from 2016 to 2022. The supermodel’s contract with Dior came to term in March 2022, almost a year and a half before the current crisis. Further, Hadid has since been appointed as the brand ambassador for Charlotte Tilbury in March 2023.
While it is true that Tager appears in Dior’s 2023 holiday campaign, it’s worth noting that starring in a campaign is not the same as being appointed as the brand ambassador. Before the 2023 holiday campaign, Tager also appeared in the Maison’s 2022 holiday campaign, both of which more prominently feature house ambassador Anya Taylor-Joy. Speaking of brand ambassadors, Dior’s roster includes Saint Levant––an artist renowned for exploring his Palestinian heritage through music––who was appointed as the fragrance ambassador for the Middle East earlier this year.
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