'Leave Bella Hadid alone. She is many things but a 'brat' is not one of them.'

Earlier this week, the city of Sydney and attendees of this year’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia were graced by the presence of one of the world’s hottest models, Bella Hadid.

She came, she conquered a runway, she collected a whopping paycheck and, to the disdain of many, she changed hotels.

For those who missed it, Hadid was originally scheduled to stay at a CBD hotel, but moved to The Old Clare at the last minute. The changes were made because the 10am check-in time was deemed too late (she’d arrived on an early morning flight), there were disruptions from a half-marathon taking place at street level, and there was a huge number of fans and media camped outside.

To be totally honest, I’m not sure what bothered people more. The fact that a 19-year-old was paid a rumoured $400,000 for her runway appearance, or that a teenager dictated that she’d be unable to sleep well at her pre-booked hotel.

The first issue I can understand. She made more in 24 hours than I’ll earn in several years of full-time work. But sometimes life is cruel and unkind and makes no sense. We know this.

As for the second issue of the hotel change? I’m honestly baffled as to why people care about this at all.

Models are in the business of looking their best. That’s quite literally their job description. That’s how they make jaw-dropping amounts of money. And even as a mere 5”7 mortal I know that sleep is high up on the list of things that will help you look your best.

So why are we ratting on someone and calling them a brat simply because they made a request that would help them better perform their job? Isn’t that proving yourself to be serious about your job?

Any seasoned professional knows the optimum conditions under which they work and are able to communicate those with others.

Hadid clearly knows what she needs. So when faced with screaming fans, hoards of runners and a lengthy check-in wait after 20 hours in the air she did something about it. And because of that decision and doing what needed to be done, she undoubtedly helped an emerging Australian designer plant herself firmly on the fashion map and gain far greater exposure to her work than she would have otherwise.

In addition to the lucrative paychecks, Hadid is hugely privileged in that her job not only allows her to travel the world, but also pays her to do so. And I think she truly knows that.

You can watch Bella’s sister, Gigi Hadid in the Victoria Secret’s Fashion Show below. Post continues after video… 

In the space of five days, the young model travelled from New York to Paris, to Cannes, back to Paris and eventually on to Sydney for 24 hours before heading back to the US. And you know what? If that were my flying schedule, I’d want a bed and a good rest ASAP too. I think anyone would.

Hadid is young, stunning, and has an influential fan base that include 4.3 million Instagram followers.

She makes more money than the great majority of us, and is a member of a fashion royalty family.

It’s easy to get the impression that things have come easily for her. Maybe they have and maybe they haven’t, but if these are our real issues with her, can’t we just say that instead of hiding behind a hotel and labeling her bratty?