Model Gigi Hadid has always been very outspoken on the topic of respecting the privacy of children of celebrities. She and her former partner, Zayn Malik, share their four-year-old daughter, Khai, and both go to great lengths to hide her face in social media posts. On April 11, Hadid responded to a comment on her Instagram in which someone left a lovely compliment on what she does choose to share of Khai.
In two different photo dumps, Hadid gave glimpses of Khai and their life together, never revealing her daughter’s face. She showed her enjoying a bicycle, leaping over a stream, and playing with a colourful workbook.
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A fan wrote on one carousel, 'Even without showing her face, we can feel how loved and special Khai is.'
In response, Hadid wrote, 'This means a lot :).'
The model shared more extensive thoughts on the issue in 2021, writing in an Instagram story, 'You know we have never intentionally shared our daughters face on social media. Our wish is that she can choose how to share herself with the world when she comes of age, and that she can live as normal of a childhood as possible, without worrying about a public image that she has not chosen.'
She continued, 'It would mean the world to us, as we take our daughter to see and explore NYC and the world, if you would PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE blur her face out of the images, if and when she is caught on camera. I know it's an extra effort — but as a new mum, I just want the best for my baby, as all parents do.'
In a March interview with Vogue, Hadid shared more about her co-parenting relationship with Malik, saying, 'Zayn and I do our custody schedules months in advance. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t change here and there, but we help each other out and have each other’s backs.'
She also talked about the ways becoming a mum in the public eye has changed her perspective.
'You can’t always be in control,' Hadid explained. 'You can’t always plan. You can look at an experience as the right or wrong time for anything, if that’s your perspective. Now I just give myself the grace and look at how many things I’ve handled. Step by step, I learned. I got through it.'
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Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
