Amena Khan, the first hijab-wearing model to land a major hair campaign with L’Oréal Paris, has stepped down from her role following a set of anti-Israel tweets published on her official Twitter account in 2014. The news comes just days after she joined Jennifer Lopez and Karlie Kloss as part of the L’Oréal family.
The UK blogger shared a statement on her social media accounts stating that she “deeply regrets” the hurt she caused by her comments. “I deeply regret the content of the tweets I made in 2014, and sincerely apologise for the upset and hurt that they have caused,” she wrote. “Championing diversity is one of my passions, I don’t discriminate against anyone. I have chosen to delete them as they do not represent the message of harmony that I stand for.” Explaining how the tweets were “detracting from the positive and inclusive sentiment” the ads aimed to embrace leading to her decision of stepping down from the Elvive campaign and landing a major contract.
Tweets have since been deleted from her page.
A spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris gave a statement to BBC: “We have recently been made aware of a series of tweets posted in 2014 by Amena Khan, who was featured in a UK advertising campaign. We appreciate that Amena has since apologized for the content of these tweets and the offence they have caused. L’Oréal Paris is committed to tolerance and respect towards all people. We agree with her decision to step down from the campaign.”
