Vogue has apologised for calling Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik gender-fluid after a furious backlash

Vogue has apologised for calling Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik gender-fluid.

The magazine was condemned online last week for identifying the August 2017 cover stars as the “new generation embracing gender fluidity.”

The article also drew parallels between the couple and Virginia Woolf’s transgender character Orlando.

A gender-fluid person is someone “whose gender identification and presentation shifts, whether within or outside of societal, gender-based expectations,” according to University of California, Berkeley.

The article did discuss actual trans and nonbinary people, including model and actor Ruby Rose, and the writer and activist Tyler Ford.

But the only passage of the article which could be interpreted as the cover stars discussing gender was when Hadid asks Malik: “I shop in your closet all the time, don’t I?”

He responds: “Yeah, but same,” before asking Hadid about a t-shirt he borrowed from her the other day.

“I like that shirt,” he says. “And if it’s tight on me, so what? It doesn’t matter if it was made for a girl.”

She agrees, adding: “Totally. It’s not about gender.

“It’s about, like, shapes. And what feels good on you that day. And anyway, it’s fun to experiment”.

Many people were angry because Hadid and Malik are, as far as we know, a cisgender couple who Vogue seemed to call genderfluid simply because of this habit of experimenting with their fashion choices.

One typical comment read: “Think Vogue is a bit confused on what gender fluidity is! Wearing your gf’s T-shirt does not make you gender fluid”.

Vogue apologised for its mistake, saying in a statement: “The story was intended to highlight the impact the gender-fluid, non-binary communities have had on fashion and culture.

“We are very sorry the story did not correctly reflect that spirit – we missed the mark.

“We do look forward to continuing the conversation with greater sensitivity.”

Malik has previously welcomed his status as a gay sex symbol, saying: “If girls find me attractive, then that’s a cool thing.

“If guys find me attractive, then that’s a cool thing as well.

“It’s sick. It’s a compliment.”

• Dec 01 2023

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