Aydan Nix shares what it was like discovering a new family connection and how her life has changed since learning she is the half-sister of models Gigi and Bella Hadid.
In a deeply personal essay published by The cut On December 30, the 23-year-old reflected on her journey after learning that Mohamed Hadid was her biological father.
Aydan, whose mother is Terri Hatfield Dull, spoke about how she was welcomed into the Hadid family and how the experience reshaped her understanding of identity, belonging and family.
“My sisters (and the rest of the family) have been warm and generous,” she wrote.
“They made room for me when they didn’t need it. They were nice.”
Aydan revealed that after discovering her connection to the Hadids, she became deeply interested in learning more about her heritage.
She thanked Gigi, Bella and their siblings, including Alana, Marielle and Anwar, for helping her navigate this journey.
“Alana sent me resources and inspired me to become active in the struggle for Palestinian freedom,” she shared, adding that Gigi introduced her to Palestinian cuisine while Anwar helped spark her interest through his work.
Despite the heat, Aydan admitted that the adaptation was not easy.
She described the emotional complexity of finding family later in life, explaining that she felt pressure to make up for lost time.
“I was trying to find my place in a family I didn’t know,” she wrote, remembering moments of complicity that were both joyful and overwhelming.
She also reflected on her upbringing in Florida and the loss of the father she grew up with, noting that learning the truth reshaped her understanding of family without forgetting the love she had known.
“It didn’t change who she was to me,” Aydan said of the sister she grew up with, “but it did force me to reorient what family meant.”
Professionally, his life continued at its own pace.
Aydan shared that she works as a freelance stylist and has recently been involved in major fashion projects, including backstage at a show in Barcelona.
She nevertheless stressed that her daily life remained grounded.
“I live in a small one-bedroom apartment…I take the subway or bus to work,” she wrote, adding that despite public curiosity, she strives to live authentically.
“I’m doing my best to live my life for me,” Aydan concluded, “and to remind myself that even with more eyes on me, my life is still my own.”
