She issued an apology after being accused of disrespecting the people of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, but the ramifications over a controversial post on Bella Hadid's Instagram account are still being felt.

In the offending Instagram story, the supermodel appeared to press the bottom of her foot on the two nations' flags in a social media post, and now images of Hadid have been removed from the UAE's largest shopping centre.

The Dubai Mall responded on Twitter this week, after it was inundated with requests to take a stand on the issue. Hadid, who has fronted campaigns for brands such as Michael Kors, Dior Beauty and Bulgari, is regularly used in advertising imagery across the world.

"Thanks for your concern," The Dubai Mall wrote on Twitter in response to numerous petitions to remove pictures of the American-born model from stores. "We ensure you that our nation and region’s cultural sensitivities are respected. We have brought the matter to the attention of the retailers concerned to take appropriate steps."

As a result, brands such as the perfume arm of Christian Dior have taken down campaign images featuring the 22-year-old.

"For appeasement, Parfums Christian Dior has removed its visuals of Bella Hadid in The Dubai Mall," a spokesperson confirmed to The National.

The photo of Hadid's boot isn't the only thing that has upset some of her GCC fans: various accounts on Twitter also claim that she shared a New York Times op ed written by a critic of the UAE and Saudi on an Instagram story, but the alleged post is no longer visible.

The National has also reached out to other brands that have worked with Hadid, such as Bulgari, or multi-brand stores that stock Dior Beauty, such as Sephora, for comment.

Mall of the Emirates has also issued a statement on its Twitter account following the news, revealing the recent incident "with a model for one of the brands at Mall of the Emirates is in no way associated with the mall". [Hadid's post] does not reflect our values," the Al Barsha shopping destination added.

The post behind the upset was uploaded to Hadid's Instagram Stories last Monday, and showed her boot against an airport window, with planes from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, flags emblazoned on their tails, on the tarmac underneath.

Hadid, who was born to a Dutch mother and Palestinian father, swiftly deleted the image after angry comments from fans, who explained why the positioning of her foot was so disrespectful.

The model then uploaded a lengthy apology in both English and Arabic to her social media channels, expressing that her actions had “nothing to do with politics" and were the result of an "honest mistake".

The National