7 Times Yolanda Hadid Was Labeled A ‘Toxic Parent’ Because Of How She Treats Gigi & Bella Hadid
The Hadids had a lot of rules growing up.
When Bella Hadid’s latest interview with Vogue was released this week, many were quick to praise the model for coming clean about getting plastic surgery.
The model revealed that she had a nose job at 14-years-old, which she now regrets.
However, the praise for Bella quickly turned into criticism towards her mother, Yolanda Hadid, for allowing her daughter to get cosmetic surgery at such a young age.
The criticism does have a slight air of misogyny interlaced in it. The Hadid siblings do, after all, also have a father who has not been blamed for his daughter’s decision.
But, the nose job revelation has joined a list of several other instances in which Yolanda was not the most supportive parent to her children Gigi, Bella and Anwar Hadid.
Here are all the times Yolanda Hadid has been called out for bad parenting.
1. Yolanda Hadid repeatedly told Gigi Hadid not to eat as a teenager.
When her eldest daughter was first entering the modeling industry, Yolanda was regularly seen advising Gigi on how to make it in fashion, even though that advice was often at the expense of Gigi’s health and wellbeing.
Fans of the Hadid’s regularly call out the “Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Star” for the many clips of her telling Gigi not to eat.
One such video includes Yolanda telling Gigi she can only have “a half of a half” of a cake slice given to the then-teenager at her graduation party.
2. Yolanda told Gigi to eat an almond when she was feeling weak.
Needless to say, her advice to Gigi to stay “on the skinny side” in order to be competitive in the European modeling scen would occasionally backfire and leave Gigi feeling unwell.
In another “RHOBH” clip, Gigi is heard on the phone calling her mom to tell her she feels weak and has only eaten half of an almond.
Yolanda permits her daughter to have “a couple of almonds” but says to “chew them really well” so as to feign fullness without eating too much.
3. Yolanda has been partially blamed for Bella’s eating disorder.
Given what fans already knew about Yolanda’s control over Gigi’s diet, many were quick to point out that she may have contributed to Bella’s disordered eating as a teen – which she discussed in her Vogue interview.
Eating disorders are a mental health condition, so it is not fair to blame Yolanda for that. But, healthy attitudes around food and body image begin at home.
4. Yolanda allegedly called Bella an ‘unthoughtful careless human being’ in a leaked letter.
A letter allegedly written by, and possibly leaked by, Yolanda appears to address Bella after the then-17-yea-old got a DUI.
“You have literally turned into a spoiled, unthankful, unthoughtful careless human being that is lucky to be alive,” she wrote. “What an eye-opening experience to find beer cans, pink kittie [sic] bottle with vodka, bottles with Adderall, Vyvanse, rolling papers, and a car full of dirty clothes, dirty underwear with bloodstains, Tampax [sic].”
While any parent would criticize their child for drunk driving, the language is particularly harsh considering Bella was still just a teenager and has been transparent about dealing with mental health issues.
Yolanda also somehow manages to blame Bella for her younger brother, Anwar, getting his life ruined by the ordeal.
“Life in my home has been changed forever. Poor Anwar his life is going to be miserable.”
5. Yolanda thought Gigi was a lesbian because she played volleyball.
In another of the many “RHOBH” clips that show Yolanda expressing concerning opinions about her daughter’s body, she makes a rather ill-informed connection between her daughter’s look and her sexuality.
Yolanda says she used to think Gigi was a “lesbian” because she played volleyball, which she deems a “masculine” sport.
She also comments that Gigi and her teammates are “big and bulky and they eat like men.”
6. Yolanda once warned a makeup artist not to give Gigi a “Chinese look.”
Yolanda is seeing whispering to a makeup artist to ask her to adjust Gigi’s makeup so she is not “Chinese looking.”
She then tells the camera that she tries to give her daughter advice “to keep her eyes round and big so they pop, not the Chinese look, because that’s not good for her face.”
7. Yolanda was accused of leaking photos of Gigi and Zayn’s daughter, Khai.
When the couple welcomed their daughter after a very lowkey pregnancy, the model announced that they would not be sharing any photos of their little one’s face until she was old enough to make that choice for herself.
However, in January 2021, Yolanda posted a photo of Khai to her Instagram story in which the child’s face was visible in the reflection of a mirror.
The post was quickly deleted but reportedly caused tensions in the family.
“Zayn went crazy - he's so protective of his daughter's privacy, he was so mad,” a source claimed.
This tension allegedly culminated when Yolanda accused Gigi’s then-boyfriend, Malik, of pushing her into a dresser and the couple’s Pennsylvania home in September 2021.
Malik pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment.
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.