Zahia Dehar (born 25 February 1992) is an Algerian born fashion and lingerie designer, model and actress, arrived in France at 10 years of age following the divorce of her parents and who became known due to a sex scandal involving footballers and her as an underage escort girl.
Early life
Zahia Dehar was born in
Ghriss
Ghriss is a town and commune in Mascara Province, Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates ...
, Algeria, on 25 February 1992.
She moved to
Champigny-sur-Marne
Champigny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Champigny on Marne'') is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Name
Champigny-sur-Marne was originally called simply Champigny. The name Champigny ulti ...
, France with her mother and younger brother at the age of 10. She entered into prostitution at the age of sixteen,
and was successful in high-end prostitution, earning up to €20,000 per month at the rate of €1,000 or €2,000 a time.
Her father, Hacène Dehar, still lives in Algeria. He has refused any form of contact with his daughter since the prostitution allegations appeared.
Sex scandal
In 2009, Dehar, who was then under 18 years old, was allegedly paid for sex by
Franck Ribéry
Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry (; born 7 April 1983) is a French former professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, preferably on the left side, and was known for his pace, energy, skill, and precise passing. Ribéry has been des ...
and
Karim Benzema
Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains La Liga club Real Madrid. A creative and prolific forward, Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. ...
, who were players on the
France national football team
The France national football team (french: Équipe de France de football) represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation (FFF; ), the governing body for football in France. It is a ...
.
The
age of consent
The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim ...
in France is 16, but
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
was legal at the time only if the worker was over the age of 18.
The case started to come to light during an investigation by the
Brigade de répression du proxénétisme into the activities of ''Abousofiane Moustaid'', also known as "Abou Sofiane", a former contestant on
Nouvelle Star
''Nouvelle Star'' (; also known as ''À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star'' for the first season) is a French television series based on the popular Pop Idol programme produced by FremantleMedia. It was broadcast by M6 in seasons 1–8 before ...
who became the host of a celebrity show on the TNT channel. The authorities were particularly interested in the ''Zaman Café'', a Parisian bar, part of whose turnover came from prostitution. After the administrative closure of the establishment, the police officers questioned the prostitutes who worked there. They discovered that one of them, Zahia Dehar, started to work there while she was still a minor, and had also served several footballers.
The young woman claimed to have met Karim Benzema in May 2008 on the sidelines of the
Trophées UNFP du football
The Trophées UNFP du football are a number of awards given annually by the National Union of Professional Football Players to players playing in France's Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, as well as to managers and referees, the most prestigious one being t ...
ceremony, and to have met Franck Ribéry on 7 April 2009, in a hotel in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
where she and another escort had been sent to join the footballer, as a "birthday present" for the latter.
Zahia Dehar was interviewed three times in April 2010.
The investigation became public in 2010, just before the French team participated in the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
. The then-current French national team manager
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Manuel Albert Domenech (; born 24 January 1952) is a French football manager and former player. He managed the France national team from 2004 to 2010, reaching the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. He was dismissed after their elimination from ...
cited Benzema's struggle for form with his new club Real Madrid rather than his alleged involvement in the sex scandal as his reason for excluding the striker from the
squad
In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...
.
In July 2010, Ribéry and Benzema were indicted for "solicitation of minor prostitute",
an offence punishable in France by up to three years in prison and a €45,000 fine.
Another member of the team,
Sidney Govou
Sidney Rodrigue Noukpo Govou (born 27 July 1979) is a French former professional footballer who played primarily as a winger, but was occasionally deployed as a striker. He holds the record for most Ligue 1 titles won (seven), along with Her ...
, was also interviewed; however, he avoided prosecution as the investigation revealed that his meeting with Zahia took place after she had reached the age of majority.
The mediatization of Dehar started from this case. Very quickly, her face was revealed by the media, and many photos of her circulated on the web, making the young woman a real "Internet phenomenon". ''
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'' initially revealed her name, simply calling her "Zahia D."
In May 2010, she gave an interview to ''
Paris Match
''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features.
History and profile
A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...
'', which revealed her full name. She gave her version of the case and declared, among other things, "I consider myself an escort, but not a prostitute" (providing support services without having sex with the client), and denied having a
pimp
Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...
or belonging to a network.
The case continued until the mid-2010s. In late 2011, the Paris prosecutor asked for a dismissal for Ribéry and Benzema;
but in August 2012, nine people were sent back by the
investigating judge to the criminal court, including Benzema and Ribéry for "solicitation of minor prostitute".
On 31 January 2014, Benzema and Ribéry were acquitted by the criminal court of Paris, the court saying they were unaware that Zahia was under age. Five other suspects, including Abu Sufyan, who acted as a "matchmaker" between the young woman and footballers, were convicted for
procuring. Abu Sofiane appealed and published a book in which he claimed his innocence and accused Dehar of having taken advantage of his address book. In June 2015, the Court of Appeal confirmed his conviction and he received a heavier sentence.
Dehar's involvement in the scandal and other acts, such as posting indiscreet photos on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, have earned her the nickname ''la scandaleuse'' ("the scandalous one") in the French press.
Post-2010
Dehar achieved
celebrity
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
status as a result of the scandal. She capitalized on her fame by
modelling for various artists such as
Pierre et Gilles
Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard, also known as Pierre et Gilles, are French artists and romantic partners. They have been producing works together since 1976, creating a world where painting and photography meet. Their art is peopled by their ...
and
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer.
He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...
, and became a fashion and
lingerie
Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...
designer.
Modelling
In February 2011, the American and Spanish editions of
V Magazine published a twelve-page tribute to
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...
, It included several photos of Dehar shot in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, marking her return in the media. To publicise her modelling a website was officially launched on 1 March 2011.
In late May 2011, photographer and director Greg Williams featured Dehar in a futuristic short film entitled ''Bionic''. The following month,
Pierre et Gilles
Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard, also known as Pierre et Gilles, are French artists and romantic partners. They have been producing works together since 1976, creating a world where painting and photography meet. Their art is peopled by their ...
created a painting representing her as
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
. "An artistic and friendly thunderbolt was born our new Eve. Dehar: magical beautiful, innocent and luminous, she is the dream model" declared the two artists about this piece. In August 2011, Alix Malka photographed Dehar for the Italian edition of the American fashion magazine
Vanity Fair, which also contained an interview with Dehar.
In the last quarter of 2011, her appearances in the media were less common, although she was photographed with
Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1963) is a French fashion designer whose high-end stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started hi ...
and Farida Khelfa, at a shoe exhibition at the Galerie du Passage in November 2011. A few months later, Pierre Passebon produced a lingerie exhibition "Zahia de 5 à 7", which had the effect of re-kindling interest in her by the press.
After a brief eclipse, Dehar experienced a resurgence of media exposure at the beginning of 2012: a new series of photographs, shot by Karl Lagerfeld in January 2012, was published just after her first lingerie show. She was photographed by Ali Mahdavi, artistic director of the
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by wh ...
, in February for an article that Françoise-Marie Santucci wrote about Dehar in
Libération "Next". Then the same month,
Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Yasmina Adjani ; born 27 June 1955) is a French actress and singer of Algerian and German descent. She is the only performer in history to win five César Awards for acting; she won the Best Actress award for ''Possession'' (1981), ''O ...
announced her intention to produce a documentary about Dehar, in collaboration with Farida Khelfa.
Another series of photos was shot by photographer
Ellen von Unwerth after Dehar's second lingerie show in July 2012.
In December 2013, Dehar returned to the lens of Alix Malka for the Magazine 7 Hollywood, published on the 15th of the month.
From 8 April to 27 September 2014, Pierre et Gilles exhibition, at the Galerie des Gobelins (Paris), an exhibit of an envelope richly adorned with a portrait of Dehar, was specially made for the occasion.
A resolute
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
, she became one of
PETA's European "muses" in June 2015, posing for musician and photographer
Bryan Adams
Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
in a campaign entitled "Have a heart, become a vegetarian".
In November 2015, a few hours before the
attacks in Paris, the artists Pierre et Gilles published on their
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
account a photo taken a few months ago, Dehar posing as
Marianne
Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty.
Marianne is displayed i ...
. This photograph was used on social networks as a response to the terrorist acts that occurred on that evening.
Lingerie
In 2010, several brands were registered with the
European Union Intellectual Property Office
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO; french: links=no, Office de l'Union européenne pour la propriété intellectuelle), founded in 1994, is the European Union Agency responsible for the registration of the European Union trad ...
(EUIPO), including: ''Zahia'', ''Zahia Dehar'', ''Pretty Zahia'',
''Zahiadora'', ''Zahiadise'' and ''A dream by Zahia''. The name Zahia and several derived words are thus claimed as private property, for several sectors of activity such as massage oils, cosmetics, travel bags, jewellery, condoms, and the production of films and broadcasts.
(Most of these brand names, according to the official website of the EUIPO, are not in use.)
The first presentation of her lingerie collection, "ligne de tenues d'intérieur légères, raffinées", which was mostly trendy pink, was on 25 January 2012 at the
Palais de Chaillot
The Palais de Chaillot () is a building at the top of the in the Trocadéro area in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th ''arrondissement'' of Paris, France.
For the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937) ...
during the French
fashion week
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, where fashion designers, brands or "houses" display their latest collections in runway fashion shows to buyers and the media. These events influence the upcoming fashion ...
, in the presence of many professionals of fashion. Dehar herself closed the half-naked parade in the traditional tulle
wedding dress
A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo-Sa ...
decorated with
cherry blossom
A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...
petals, and embroidered with
Swarovski
Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Austria, and has existed as a family-owned business since its founding in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski.
The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal ...
rhinestones. A second collection was presented a few months after.
The launch of the two lingerie collections was funded by First Mark Investments, an investment fund based in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
that supports young designers.
Filmography
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dehar, Zahia
French female models
French women fashion designers
Algerian emigrants to France
1992 births
Living people
People from Mascara Province
Algerian women fashion designers
Algerian film actresses
Algerian female models
French prostitutes
Algerian prostitutes
French film actresses
21st-century French actresses
French women fashion designers
Sex scandals in France