Since they welcomed their first child together in September 2020, Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik have been in a world of parental bliss.
Opting to keep their daughter away from the limelight, the couple have chosen to share small tidbits of the little one’s life when suits them, including the revealing of her name, Khai, earlier this year.
Of course, to mark Father’s Day, Hadid gave one such insight into their lives as parents, sharing an unseen photo of “baba” Malik and baby Khai.
In a sweet photo shared to Instagram, Malik is seen holding his baby girl up to a lit-up globe, essentially showing his daughter the world.
“Our Khai is so lucky to have a baba who loves her so much & does anything to see her smile!!” the 25-year-old said. “[Zayn] Happy first Father’s Day. I’m so grateful for all the lil [sic] bits of her that are you.
“We love you so much.”
Hadid also shared another photo to mark Father’s Day over her own “baba”, Mohamed Hadid. The sweet snap of the property tycoon in New York City – where the supermodel and Malik have a home – pushing a stroller presumed to have baby Khai in it.
“Happy Fathers Day my daddio @mohamedhadid I love you so much and have loved watching you be the sweetest Jido to Khai,” Hadid said.
How Gigi and Zayn are raising their daughter
Hadid recently opened up in an interview to discussing how she intends to help her daughter embrace her multiethnic heritage, something she’s previously felt difficulty standing up for at times when it comes to her Arab roots.
Both she and Malik are from multicultural backgrounds, with Hadid having Palestinian and Dutch heritage, while Malik is British Pakistani, and she admitted it’s something they talk about a lot as partners as it’s “something that we first experienced ourselves”.
Noting how both she and Malik are both the “first generation of those mixed races, and then that comes with that first generational experience”, she admitted she has previously felt like she was “too white” to embrace her Arab heritage.
“In certain situations, I feel – or I’m made to feel – that I’m too white to stand up for part of my Arab heritage,” Hadid said. “You go through life trying to figure out where you fit in racially.”
When it comes to her daughter, Hadid hopes she’ll feel empowered to be a “bridge” for her multicultural background.
She added, “I think that Khai will grow up feeling out the way that she can or wants to be a bridge for her different ethnicities.”
The Palestinian-Dutch model also noted she’s keen to have conversations with her daughter to see “where she comes from” in her thoughts and ideas about embracing her heritage.
The meaning of baby Khai’s name
Ensuring she has a piece of heritage with her all the time, Hadid’s daughter’s name pays tribute to her Arab heritage.
Not only is Khai a beautiful name, but there’s also a truly special meaning behind the moniker.
Khai means “crowned”, “the chosen one” or “strong” in some Arabic terms. The name was also chosen as it pays tribute to her late grandmother, Khairia, on her father Mohamed Hadid’s side of the family, according to .
Hadid’s father has previously claimed his late mother descended from royalty. “Her great grandfather was the Prince of Nazareth – King of Galilee in the 18th century Daher Al-Omer The Ruler,” he previously said.
