Oh dear Gigi - model causes backlash on twitter by calling Zayn ‘Middle Eastern’

Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid .Dominique Charriau / WireImage / Getty Images

Oops, Gigi Hadid. The “just a pretty face” theory has been tested after a comment the 21-year-old American fashion model made in recent days. Twitter users have taken to social media to blast the model, who has just been in Dubai launching her TommyXGigi Collection with Tommy Hilfiger, for referring to her boyfriend Zayn Malik as “Middle Eastern”. Malik is in fact half-Pakistani.

PerezHilton.com quotes the star as saying: "My boyfriend is also half Middle Eastern. It's just a connection that you make that's really cool".

Hadid who was in the UAE on Monday, October 10, promoting her collaboration with fashion giant Tommy Hilfger, has yet to respond to the comments which included:

@GiGiHadid just to let you know Zayn is Pakistani, which is in South Asia. Just in case you didn't read his profile properly before signing

@gigihadid ZAYN ISN'T HALF MIDDLE EASTERN HE'S HALF PAKISTANI !!!!!!!! lmao

It's totally obvious now this is a #PR relation!? @GiGiHadid just to let you know Zayn Malik is Pakistani, which is in South Asia. #Zquad

The social media fire came on the day that former One Direction member Malik, who recently cancelled his Dubai gig as a result of anxiety, announced he was making a foray into fashion himself, with Versus Versace - the diffusion line of Italian luxury fashion house Versace.

The capsule collection, titled Zayn X Versus (surprise) will include both menswear and womenswear, and will be stocked in Versus stores around the globe from May 2017. You can read more about it here.