Gigi Hadid Reveals How She and Zayn Malik Raise Daughter Khai in a Multi-Ethnic Home
Gigi Hadid has always been open about her own multi-ethnic background, but now she is sharing how she plans to broach the subject with her own daughter.
Gigi Hadid grew up in a multi-ethnic household; her mother Yolanda is Dutch and her father Mohamed is Palestinian. Her own family consists of different backgrounds—her partner Zayn Malik has a Pakistani father and a British mother. In a recent interview, the model opened up about the importance of recognizing her own ethnic background and how she and the "Pillowtalk" singer plan to introduce these influences into their daughter Khai's upbringing.
"We think about it and talk about it a lot as partners and it's something that's really important to us, but it's also something we've been through ourselves. Because both of our parents have their own backgrounds," Hadid tells iD. "We're that first generation of these mixed backgrounds, and then that comes with that first generation experience of, 'Oh, I'm the bridge!' That's not something my parents went through or could really help me through. It's something I've always thought about all my life."
"You always wonder what race you belong to. Sometimes I feel too white to stand up for Arab affairs. Is what I am enough to do what feels right? Or am I abusing the privileges I have because of my white side? Can I talk about one side of myself, or am I talking about something that I don't experience enough?" the model confesses.
She also expressed her curiosity about how her daughter will handle these same issues. "I think she will find her own way to bring her different cultures together. I think it would be interesting to have those conversations with her and see what says herself, without us imposing anything on her. What comes from her is true I'm most excited about, and that I can add to that or answer her questions."