Gigi Hadid writes piece on man who lifted her up in street: 'If my behaviour isn’t model behaviour, then what is?'

'Honestly I felt I was in danger and I had every right to react the way I did,' model says

Gigi Hadid (Getty)

Gigi Hadid says she feared she was in danger when she was picked up by a man in the middle of the street in a video that made headlines around the world.

Last week, a video circulated of the model fending off a man who picked her up by the waist amid a bustling crowd. In the dramatic footage, Hadid can be seen elbowing the man and wriggling to try and set herself free. Her model sister Bella is also seen visibly concerned and trying to get her elder sister from the man’s grasp.

In an article for Lena Dunham’s feminist newsletter Lenny, Hadid says she, unknowing to who the man was, believed she was in danger so reacted in self-defence.

“My first reaction was: ‘Get me out of this situation’. I played volleyball and my coaches talked about muscle memory,” she wrote. “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.

“Honestly, I felt I was in danger and I had every right to react the way I did. If anything, I want girls to see the video and know that they have the right to fight back too if put in a similar situation.”

Hadid also said the moment she got “really p*ssed” was when she saw a headline in The Sun which said: ‘Not Model Behaviour: Gigi Hadid aggressively lashed out and elbows fan in the face after her tries to pick her up’. The 21-year-old criticised the headline last week saying she had every right to defend herself. It is believed The Sun then changed their headline after the events.

Hadid also thanked her fans on social media who supported her after the ordeal.

“I know people are put in much worse situations every day and don’t have the cameras around that provoke social media support. I just want to use what happened to me to show that it’s everyone’s right, and it can be empowering, to be able to defend yourself.”

Dunham also praised Hadid for how she handled the situation and said "street harrassment" isn't just a problem celebrities deal with.

“The video is equal measures upsetting and empowering,” the Girls creator wrote. “It is chilling to watch, in real time, the ownership a stranger seems to feel toward a body he considers public domain. But it’s also stirring: in one swift movement, without the aid of her bodyguards, Gigi makes it clear that she will not be made to feel like anyone’s property.”

Serial celebrity prankster Vitalii Seduik last week confirmed he was the man who lifted Hadid off the ground, reportedly saying his actions were a protest against celebrity models. Seduik has previously targeted Will Smith, America Ferrera, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.