Mia Khalifa Breaks Silence on Internet Trolls

Mia Khalifa has spoken about how she deals with trolls on social media, as she continues to fortify her position as one of the fashion world's newest arrivals.

The former adult film star was seen this year in the front row at a number of high-profile presentations during fashion weeks in Paris, London and Milan, including Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Moschino, and Diesel.

Further solidifying her transition to fashion it girl, Khalifa was interviewed for a recently published article in Vogue India, in which she spoke about charming the gatekeepers of the notoriously elite industry and becoming a fixture on the scene.

In September, she walked the runway for KNWLS' spring/summer 2024 collection, closing out the show in a move that sparked a backlash from her detractors.

Quoting Chris Brown's 2011 hit "Look at Me Now," Khalifa told Vogue India of those who aired their grievances about her presence at the show: "Girl, how can you hate from outside of the club, you can't even get in."

When asked about how she deals with those who troll her online, Khalifa told the publication: "Adversity builds character. I tell myself I have made it through a lot worse. It's mostly a mental thing. For the parts that aren't, they make beta blockers."

"I take it in my stride," she continued. "Life doesn't get hard when it's about to get easier, it gets hard when things are changing for the better."

Earlier this week, Khalifa took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a link to the Vogue India article and accompanying photoshoot.

"THANK YOU @VOGUEIndia for talking to me about how difficult it is to break into such a gatekept industry like fashion as a brown girl with a scarlet letter," she wrote, adding that for the shoot, she was "styled by me, at home, with no glam."

Khalifa proceeded to repost a number of the supportive comments that she received, including one from back in July that read: "Mia Khalifa has shown such a wide range of style and never misses a beat. Her knowledge on fashion and her own styling efforts are impressive. Because we're still waiting on that red carpet debut, she is well on her way to fashion girlhood."

Addressing that post on Thursday, the same X user wrote: "Ate my words in a single season. @miakhalifa for Vogue India in Schiaparelli, Cartier, and [Khalifa's jewelry brand] Sheytan. Congratulations fashion girl."

"I love you thank you," Khalifa responded with a crying emoji. "This is my dream life!!!!!"

Away from the fashion world, Khalifa recently found herself embroiled in controversy amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Several weeks ago, Lebanese-born Khalifa lost business contracts after writing about Palestinian "freedom fighters" in a post on X, hours after the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel that left hundreds dead and saw the kidnapping of more than 200 people.

Following a wave of criticism, Khalifa, who has long been a vocal supporter of Palestinians, sought to clarify her comment in a follow-up statement on October 9.

"I just want to make it clear that this statement in no way shape or form is [inciting] spread of violence," she said in a since-deleted post. "I specifically said freedom fighters because that's what the Palestinian citizens are... fighting for freedom every day."

Playboy was one of two companies that quickly severed ties with Khalifa. She was also publicly fired from her role as an adviser at Red Light Holland, which produces and distributes magic mushrooms.

Defending herself in October, Khalifa said on X: "I just wanna make sure there's 4k footage of my people breaking down the walls of the open air prison they've been forced out of their homes and into so we have good options for the history books that write about how how they freed themselves from apartheid."

The backlash included the recent release of a hip-hop track calling for Khalifa's murder. The track is called "Charbu Darbu," which the Times of Israel says is derived from Syrian Arabic and means "swords and strikes." The publication reports that in Hebrew slang, it refers to "raining hell" on an opponent. The track is by duo Ness Ve Stilla, whose members are Nesia Levy and Dor Soroker.

In the concluding moments of the track, a list of "enemies" the pair wish to "X out" is shared, including the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Celebrities are also named on that list, including Khalifa, model Bella Hadid and singer Dua Lipa—all of whom have spoken out in support of the Palestinian civilians affected by the conflict in Gaza.

"Every c***'s last day will come/ Bella Hadid, Dupa Lipa, Mia Khalifa," they rap.

"Charbu Darbu," which trended atop streaming platforms in Israel, caught the attention of Khalifa, who took aim at the style of the track in a post on X.

"Y'all that song calling for the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to kill me, Bella, and Dua is over a DRILL beat," she wrote, "they can't even call for genocide in their own culture, they had to colonize something to get it to #1."