Is Gigi Hadid Arab enough?

Since the launch of Vogue Arabia last week I've been asked by a number of people what I thought of the cover. The newly launched publication's first ever issue features Gigi Hadid wearing a bejeweled hijab. Apparently a lot of people are offended by it. Well, I'm not offended. Not at all.
First of all, the photograph by fashion photographer duo Inez & Vinoodh is beautiful. It reminded me of a more glamorous version of Richard Avedon's work in the 60's particularly that amazing photograph of Audrey Hepburn. There was also a sensuality and edginess that was reminiscent of Helmut Newton's style too.
People's issue with the cover however stems from what the photo depicts. I see a model wearing a fashion item. If I look closer I see it's a model wearing an interpretation of a hijab. Then I see Gigi Hadid.
"It means the world to me," she wrote on her Instagram account when she revelaed the cover to her 30 million followers.
The question of whether Gigi is the right "kind" of Arab or Muslim girl to be representing the first issue of a publication which will hopefully be a staple in the Middle Eastern fashion world is one that I find completely irrelevant. Gigi's Arab identity is well documented thanks to her comments on being proud of her Palestinian heritage. Her Muslim identity, from what we understand is more ambiguous. It's been reported that although her father is Muslim, Gigi isn't. Despite this, whether Gigi identifies as being Muslim or not, is also irrelevant to me in regards to the Vogue Arabia cover.
Let's look past the preconceived notions, the immature idealization of what a fashion publication and the greater fashion world is about. High-end shoots, out of this world parties, beautiful people everywhere, etc. Some of those elements do exist within the fashion industry but so does journalism, art, pushing boundaries, exploring the in-between and, of course, money. In my opinion Vogue Arabia is, for a lack of a better term, is fashionably late. The region has needed this publication for some time and we need it to stay.
In a super charged political climate where Muslims and Arabs aren't really getting much control on their own image the fact that a brand like Vogue is being launched in the Middle East to showcase Arab talent and help build on the growing fashion infrastructure, is important. I would even say that it's crucial. Launching the publication with one of the most famous faces in the world, who is part Palestinian and proud of it, is a match made in heaven that will pave the way to ensure a sustainable, successful trajectory and growth for the brand.
If Gigi doesn't identify herself as a Muslim, then wearing a hijab on the cover is seen, by some, as an insult to Muslim women everywhere. Those who do wear the hijab as part of their beliefs are condemned as backwards while Gigi wearing it is seen as glamorous. I can understand the theory of this argument but I can't compute it's practicality within this specific context.
Fashion is about dressing up, fashion is about illusion, models are like actresses taking on personas to sell clothes, to sell make up, to sell fantasies, to sell ideas. If you notice the actual words on the cover of the magazine you'll read that the first issue is about reorienting perceptions. A vital idea. The hijab has had an unnecessarily controversial history full of prejudice. What other ways can we bring the hijab into the contemporary mainstream so those who are marginalized by it feel that they can wear it without judgment? How about creating a fashion spread and having it on the cover of one of the most famous magazines worn by one of the most famous models in the world? That's not a bad starting point.
An incredibly bizarre point that was raised regarding this issue was Gigi's "Arabness." I refuse to get into a discussion on what makes someone Arab or not Arab enough. I think it's offensive. The fact that Gigi looks like a white woman isn't her choice. The fact that she is treated like one isn't her choice either. Her surname is Hadid and no matter how close or far she feels connected to that name and the identity and lineage it bears, Gigi has made a point to say that she is proud of it and today being a proud Arab is something to welcome and not criticize.

• Dubai