Gigi Hadid says she had a 'big guilt of privilege' when she first started modeling

Gigi Hadid is dividing the internet over an incident that might not have even happened. (Reuters)

Gigi Hadid says growing up rich came with its share of guilt when she began to work as a runway model.

“I know I come from privilege, so when I started there was this big guilt of privilege, obviously,” the model told Vogue Australia.

Hadid, who covers the magazine’s July issue, said she tried to prove herself to the models who didn’t come from money. The 23-year-old’s parents are Los Angeles real estate developer Mohamed Hadid and former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star and model Yolanda Hadid.

“I’ve always had this big work ethic, because my parents came from nothing and I worked hard to honor them,” she said, adding, “There are so many girls who come [from] all over the world and work their asses off and send money home to their families like my mother did.”

She never wanted her recognizable name and early-career “Bravo” appearances to define her.

“I wanted to stand next to them backstage and for them to look at me and respect me and to know that it’s never about me trying to overshadow or take their place,” she said.

Still, she said her career — which now spans from Fashion Week shows, capsule collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger and partnerships with Vogue Eyewear and Maybelline — can appear to some as the results of having a notable last name — and an equally famous sibling, Bella Hadid.

“I feel misunderstood in a lot of ways,” Hadid admitted. “I’ve tried for the length of my career to show who I am and what’s important to me but I’m trying to remember that I can’t meet everyone and prove myself to everyone, so therefore I have to accept that there are going to be misunderstandings.”

This article originally appeared on Page Six.