I’ve had a major crush on Gigi Hadid for a while, but it’s always been for superficial reasons. She’s physically flawless, can do a rocking lip sync, and is dating the equally flawless Zayn.

But in the last day, she’s been elevated to “ohmygod you beautiful badass how can I be you?” level crush.

ICYMI, while attending Milan Fashion Week, Hadid was physically assaulted by a stranger. The man, Vitalli Sediuk, grabs her from behind and lifts her completely off her feet. While this was shocking enough, what really threw everyone for a loop was Hadid’s response.

She immediately fights back, elbowing him in the face. When she’s released, she’s throwing punches, calling after the man who assaulted her.

Everyone has had a lot to say about it. Some said she “lashed out” at one of her fans, others deemed it as “not model behavior.” The majority are coming to her defense, including Hadid herself, who stated she was a human and had every right to defend herself against someone who man-handled her.

So what’s my opinion on all this?

All hail Queen Gigi to be honest. She showed the entire world the appropriate way to act when you are being assaulted by a complete stranger (and not the “prankster” that headlines keep painting this man as). Gigi in one moment showed young people that when you are in danger, you fight, and you fight back hard.

She hits the man to get away from him, but once she keeps free she doesn’t let her guard down. You can see the fire in her, that she’s ready to protect herself if he came at her again.

Women get attacked every day, in any situation. This shows that even when you’re in broad daylight and surrounded by people, some literally hired to protect you, these things happen. And when they do, being polite or prim and proper goes out the window.

I’m horrified that she’s being slammed for being “too aggressive” and “lashing out.” Yes, how dare she hit a man that has grabbed her by the waist and seems like he is going to carry her off. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a model, or that she’s young, or that she’s petite and pretty. It could be because any women who is famous can’t do anything without it being controversial. Whatever the reason, I’m over it and just thankful she did what she did.

Women are often told they have two pathways, pretty or tough. You can be a princess or a warrior, but you can’t do both. Gigi Hadid blew that out of the window, showing young girls that you can be a beautiful model but also protect yourself and be a badass. That to me is model behavior.