Throughout the day on Monday, Kim Kardashian posted photos of herself on social media. The photos looked like they were from a magazine photoshoot, but she didn’t say which magazine or why. As you can see from my cropping skills, Kim wore braids and little else. The uncropped photos are NSFW, so I’m not even going to link to Kim’s Twitter (you know how to find her Twitter anyway). Anyway, the controversy wasn’t about seeing semi-nude Kim again, the controversy was about her braids. Because culture vulture gotta culture vulture.
Kim Kardashian West is facing backlash for posting several photos of herself in blonde cornrows — but she is not backing down. Hours after posting a flurry of near-nude photographs with her hair in cornrows, the mother of three, 37, shared a photo of herself reclining on a bed with a phone pressed to her ear with the caption, “Hi, can I get zero f—s please, thanks.”
Kardashian West declared herself “Bo West” after Bo Derek, the 1970s actress, who wore a similar braided hairstyle in the 1979 film 10, which featured an iconic scene of the star running down a beach.
The KKW beauty mogul also slammed Lindsay Lohan earlier Monday for writing, “I am confused,” on a photo celebrity blogger Perez Hilton posted of the reality star’s new cornrows. Kardashian West clapped back, “You know what’s confusing….. Your sudden foreign accent.”
This is not the first time Kardashian West has been accused of cultural appropriation. When she and her sisters used to wear their hair in cornrows which they and other non-African Americans dubbed “boxer braids” instead of cornrows or Fulani-style braids, they were publically criticized on social media and by other celebrities.
I’m waiting for people to start treating Kim like Lena Dunham, you know? Lena Dunham has f–ked up so many times that people just started treating her differently because the cycle of bulls–t kept happening. We could properly identify it when it began – “oh look, here’s Lena Dunham starting something because she’s a famewhore who wants to pretend to be victimized and misunderstood.” Kim is the same way – there is no way she doesn’t “get” what she’s doing at this point. She’s been called out for culture vulturing for years now and she’s still doing it to get attention. Treat her like Lena Dunham.
They are called Fulani braids or some may even say corn rows. You could of called them either one but you called them "Bo derek" giving credit to a white woman for a black style knowing you already catch heat for culture vulturing. #KimKardashian #culturalvul pic.twitter.com/aIF4NzJ9rw
— Roses🌷 (@Teenagenature) January 29, 2018
Photos courtesy of Kim’s social media.
Lizzo pointed this out yesterday on instagram. Obviously she was annoyed at all the attention Beyonce was getting yesterday since every single time Bey steps out this woman leaps to act out on Instagram. She looks tacky and I’m sure a flock of other unoriginal white girls are incredibly excited about Kim’s latest boxer braid discovery.
Glad she found time being a hands on mom to a new baby to post naked pictures of herself 🙄
But wait you guys, she’s married to a black man, so she gets a pass, amirite????
You only have to be hands on in the first week, remember?
Right. I’m sure she invented the braids. Thanks kim for giving us such a wonderful discovery! /s
Well, Bo WAS a white woman appropriating another culture, so she’s right in that regard.
Yep cause it’s only white girls who love her!
I don’t think it’s just Beyonce. Her baby being born didn’t get her enough media coverage; her husband is away in Paris 🙃; her sister got attention for her babe bump pic; she wasn’t at the Grammy’s. I mean, since when does she go around snapping at C listers like Lindsey?
If her thirst for attention is not fed, she turns to insulting black women to satiate her thirst. Calling them Bo Derek braids was intentional. She even tried to use a phrase black women use when dismissing the criticism- except she can’t get it right; we don’t GET zero fucks, we GIVE zero fucks! I just wish we ignored the troll.
Yes, she should have been on the phone with a charity, making a donation of …
Let me see if I can state this clearly without offending anyone, I am not, nor have I ever stood up for any Kardashian/Jenner (yuk!), however, I didn’t know the phrase ‘zero f#$ks’ was solely for the use of black women. I’ve been using it for at least two years!
@Millie I didn’t say it was solely for the use of black women. But maybe I should admit to being a bit facetious with that. Point is, she can’t even use the slang right.
Thanks for that! Maybe we all just need to realize that yes, Kim is thirsty and gross, but, maybe just a little bit dumb too!
I swear Kim is the Trump of fame whoring……I can’t even…ugh!!
+1
#shameless
I can’t stomach her and her entire trash heap of a family.
If this is “appropriation” then someone better tell that to the millions of tourists over the last 3 decades getting their hair braided while on their Mexican vacation. Ooh! So that’s a double appropriation! By tourists AND Mexico!
If you’re immersed in a culture while ‘resorting,’ whether you’re in Ireland knocking back a Guinness in a cableknit sweater or in a dashiki on safari in Kenya or getting your hair braided on a beach by a native to Bermuda, that’s entirely different than walking around in your day to day with corn rows and calling them ‘Bo Derek braids.’ It was done for publicity and to get people talking even if it’s negative. Just like her nude shoots. She’s a lot like Trump in that when the well is close to getting dry and she needs a boost, she hits us up.
Exactly. Most people get cornrows, or henna hands on holiday knowing they are contributing directly to the local economy. You can spend your money on cocktails at an international hotel or give directly to a family on the street. People are good like that.
THANK YOU!
Preach Letitgo!
FYI, the are no native Bermudians and they don’t corn row or vendor on the beach.
@theoriginalG
Uh, wrong.
1) The population of Bermuda is majority black, when I said ‘native,’ I’m referring to those that live there, not tourists.
2) On Harbour nights on front street in downtown Hamilton, market nights in the square in downtown St Georges and Destination Dockyard at Kings Wharf in the west end on Tuesdays there are hair braiders who set up booths on the street. On these evenings it’s difficult to find a child, teenaged girl, or cruise ship passenger that hasn’t had her hair braided and beaded. This is from Trip advisor staff.
Harbour Nights and the Dockyard are not the beach and they’re not beach vendors. They are licensed businesses. Bermuda is majority black but not native. Native, generally refers to indigenous peoples, of which Bermuda has none. This is from someone who lived there for years.
@Original G
People do use the term native to mean people who were born and raised someplace. It doesn’t necessarily imply indigenous.
@magnoliarose….describing a black person in Bermuda as a “native” would imply the speaker was a colonialist.
I think you are missing a pivotal point here, Kim is using this hair style to promote herself and make money. This is not the first time the Kardashians have done this, they use parts of other peoples culture to make money and come off as “cool”.
i’m going to side eye any white or black or non indian asian that makes moeny off yoga, then. there are 100 million unemployed indians- everyone else no yoga unless you pay a royalty to india:)
@ anon, you should! google it, there are tons of great articles on this subject and yoga.
The appropriation is her crediting a white woman(Bo Derek) with this hairstyle.
To all, FWIW these same criticisms were leveled at Derek at the time 10 came out, and as a p.o.c I thought it was, um how to say it, not the best use of people’s energy. Energy that could be directed toward, oh I dunno, universal healthcare, or fighting the police state, or fighting for high quality, public education. So many things that would directly benefit black americans and all americans. Kim is not the problem, her braids are not the problem. To me what is concerning is the level of toxic woundedness the appropriation framing creates in us, the audience, when it is used in silly celeb pr like this. So I try not to allow myself to be manipulated, and to let it pass. The winner doesn’t play.
Frosty, I love this.
THANK YOU…they are just braids!! PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY SUFFERING IN THE WORLD…. (Changes the channel)
“Hear Hear!”
TF?!… False equivalency. Braids were used in Mexico since prehispanic times, and a lot of those doing the braids/cornrows on the coasts are actually descendants from black people. The issue is important not because Kim copied a hairstyle but because it keeps representing how is it acceptable for a white woman to use something from another culture when people from that said culture are shun and discriminated for that same thing (in this case, their natural hair).
“Roses” tweet calls it out perfectly. Kim though she was going to sidestep or dismiss culture vulturing by giving credit to Bo Derek?! Congrations, you PLAYED YOURSELF.
*Congratulations
Kim will claim black because of her Armenian heritage and marriage to black man.
This is an interesting aspect. Let’s say Kim was a regular woman who has never capitalized off of cultural appropriation, who married a black man and has mixed race children.
If that woman does this, is it still an issue?
If her child or teen braids her hair, is that an issue?
If she learns to braid really well and begins braiding hair for work, is she taking away from black women and culture?
I’m really asking. Obviously I understand the issues with the Kardashians doing this. I don’t need an explanation there, but as a regular, lower middle class woman, is this still an issue?
I’m not black so I should probably STFU but I would imagine it wouldn’t be an issue for their biracial child to wear braids but would be an issue for the white mother to wear them.
Biracial children usually self-identify as black because they still endure a lot of the same marginalization that other PoC experience. But a white woman married to a black man is still a white woman at the end of the day. Even if raising biracial children gives her a level of empathy and insight regarding racial oppression that most whites don’t experience, it’s still not her lived experience. She can still “hide” behind her whiteness while her husband and children (with few exceptions) cannot.
I recently listened to an awesome podcast about this topic featuring Ijeoma Oluo, who wrote “So You Want To Talk about Race”.
One podcast and now I’m obviously an expert on all things related to race.
JKs JKs..
Oh sorry! Bad wording. I meant if the teen were to braid her mother’s hair in cornrows. It’s an interesting dynamic.
I will check that podcast out, thanks for the recc!
Hahaha oh sorry about that. Completely misunderstood.
Yes this is the podcast: https://crooked.com/podcast/foot-servants-wokeness-ijeoma-oluo-parker-molloy/
Interesting insight a black woman who grew up with a white mother. Oluo is an amazingly thoughtful..great writer, too.
Kitten, Ijeoma Oluo is AMAZING. I love her so so much.
@broody. There used to be a great blog, chocolate hair, vanilla care, by a white woman who had adopted a Black daughter and learned how to braid her daughter’s hair, beautifully. She took the time, effort and energy to style her daughter’s hair out of love. Rarely, she would braid her own hair but it was mainly because her daughter wanted to see similar styles on her. It was all done out of love. Intent matters. The only things Kim loves are attention and money.
Armenians aren’t black
What? What does Armenia has with blackness? Nothing! Having a black husband doesn’t make a white woman black. Kim is a lame *white* attention seeker.
I don’t think Shelley thinks Kim is black, Kim has tried to use that before in defense of her capitalization on minorities. She’s just paraphrasing.
See broodytrudy’s comment. She nailed it, maybe you will get it then.
Which makes it even more odd that she referenced Bo Derek. You would think she would reference people with hair texture closer to her children’s as examples for them. But she probably only noticed the hair style first with Bo Derek and that’s more famous to her. Again, counterproductive as far as her kids are concerned….
Kim doesn’t really seem to get the point that her children are going to have to navigate a culture where they will be identified as black, no matter how color-blind she thinks she is, and that their experiences will be very different from hers. I hope those kids have a lot of contact with Kanye’s family. A pale friend who had adopted some kids who were not pale always made sure to have black adult friends and children around (even renting a room to college students), subscribing to magazines like Ebony and Jet etc., activities at the predominantly black community center, etc. She and her pale husband (who had been teaching at an historic black college when their kids were adopted) had no illusions about the racism their non-pale children would be facing or their limited personal ability to guide them without a lot of help when he took a job at a paler college.
Maybe it’s the fact that Bo Derek is a sex symbol? It would explain the type of pictures they are.
She used Bo Derek because Bo Derek is white therefore Kim can’t get into trouble. I’m 100% sure this was her reasoning.
I don’t know anyone who’s checking for this POS family. They’re over and they’re milking the last few seconds they have left.
Agreed. This is the last gasp.
Black people been canceled Kim. I see on here there are always somewhat postive light hearted articles about Kim, cause it’s easy for people who aren’t effected by Kim to ignore what she and her family do. Like finding names for her kids, or what she wore etc. Kim doesn’t get a LD write up.
I think all women have been impacted by the kardashians, while they obviously take parts of other cultures and use it to their advantage they also promote unrealiatic body image. I mean Kylie is still the only one to admit to plastic surgery while the rest pretend its lighting, contouring or just working out.
Exactly. She’s been canceled by us and Kanye doesnt give her a pass at all
Until it actually starts hurting her brand, she will never learn.
What would actually hurt the K brand? This is not the first and last time the Ks have done this. I mean, they would still thrive on negative publicity?
Yep. Kim makes money as long as she’s been talked about. It doesn’t matter the reason. And she really knows how to play it, since we all end up talking about her anyway.
I’m literally scanning this article for names of regulars who are saying racist stuff. Cause when they double back pretending to be “woke” for POC Celebs they like I’mma call them out. I’m.so sick of faux woke folks.
Kim is known to do this.
Have you found anyone yet?
You’re seriously policing this thread? That’s just what we need and it will really push the movement forward.
LOL what? your comment is incredibly ignorant. please look up what cultural appropriation is.
Kim is trolling us with the braids i swear
She isnt THAT dumb
She absolutely is trolling. Her game is to get attention at any cost, and most of the people inadvertently supporting her are probably hate-watchers/followers.
If you truly hate the Kardashians, you gotta stop paying attention to them, guys. ALL attention, even to mock and criticize.
You nailed it. I have ALWAYS said that Kim’s career especially has been Hate-Fame. People hated what she did copying her friend Paris’ tape and how she blew up her ass…that was in the beginning! She’s always been hated and has always appropriated a culture she has no connection to.
Thanks for not explaining. I know what it means, thanks. You clearly didn’t read my comment.
@rabbit. having a bad day? how are ‘ignorant’ people to become educated? web searches and opinions of people unknown?
Lena Dunham is only famous in the US or was. It pains me to say this but Kim has more of an international following so it’s never going to be the same. For Americans her actions are cultural appropriation, but people around the world don’t see it the same way.
I don’t know. I am Canadian(and a black woman) and I would argue most black people internationally would view this as appropriation. It isn’t her wearing the hairstyle. It is the dilberate false attribution. These are not “Bo Derek braids”. For the thousands of little girls who grow up having their hair styled like this only to have to change it to be accepted in white dominated spaces, it is so insulting to see it called something it isn’t- repacked and stripped of its blackness.
Sorry for the mini-rant.
ETA: This ended up in the wrong spot because another comment has since been deleted, but this is a response to Frosty and the previous commenter who bashed on black women bleaching their hair and skin:
Black women have been ostracized for years by wearing their natural hair. It’s been a survival tactic to straighten, dye, and make their hair more “white” so they can fit in. Even in modern times we little girls getting kicked out of school because their hair is “too big”. This has nothing to do with that. This is a culture culture who capitalizes on the “cool” aspects of being black while she gets to avoid the prejudice and social implications of actually being black.
+1000 I don’t understand why some people can’t get this. It’s not that difficult…
I saw that comment and was shocked, how ignorant can some people be? Im a white woman with wavy hair and for work i have always felt the need to straighten it or tie it back to look “professional”. I certainly can’t say I have faced discrimination about my hair but i just understand the implied pressure to look a certain way in professional environment.
Broodytrudy, I think that’s the best concise and to the point explanation to this issue I’ve seen, thank you.
Came here for the comments!
Kims mouth is gross
Also im tired of her try hard sexy act. Her body and style is grotesque. Nothing redeeming about her
This. ^^^
@mela RIGHT? the mouth. gads. let me guess: it’s post-surrogate-born-baby mouth. she can’t help it.
@catfoodjunkie omg…perfect! Cracking me up!
Good lord she’s wearing braids. Let’s crucify her. 🙄
@sayrah
Hyperbole much?
Try to keep up. She’s being criticized because she’s referring to an African hairstyle that still gets little black girls expelled from school, and only recently has been deemed ‘ok’ for African Americans in the military, as ‘Bo Derek braids.’
Girls really get expelled from school for wearing braids in the USA?
@Zip. Indeed they do. This list is international, but many examples are from the US:
https://www.elitedaily.com/life/culture/black-girls-natural-hair-racism-schools/1953497
She knows what she is doing, she just wants everyone to talk about her.
I feel bad for Kim, they just had a new baby via surrogacy. Kanye is in Germany, she’s thirsting hard on the internet. She probably used to love this time of the year, dressing up and going to the Grammies and all its parties. She seems sad.
She’s been posting semi nude pictures all week, she barely got media coverage, she had to bring the braids to finally get attention( I hope it’s a wig, real braids hurt and she could lose her edges).
Isn’t she pathetic? Her thirstiness for attention is so obvious. The fact that nobody even give a shiz about her semi nude body is hilarious. She probably knew that people are tired of her nude/semi nudes photos that she needed to wear the braids for people to talk about her. Bad publicity is still a publicity.
The problem isn’t really the hairstyle but her failure to give credit to the culture that has developed it within this country. Braids in themselves with various degrees of intricacy really are part of many cultures, but it is obtuse to claim that they are not clearly identified with people of African descent in the US. That’s why children have trouble with schools about it- simpler braiding styles identified with European or Asian cultures are familiar and well accepted. I can see a problem in a classroom with braids that make too much noise, but that should be easily solvable. Adults have to take the lead in dealing with such issues in schools, in particular explaining to the uninformed why certain hairstyles are considered protective for their children’s hair texture.
Also the Kardashians seem to just wear such braids for a day. That seems odd to me – they are time-consuming initially to create but I’m told that they are time-saving in the long run, comfortable to sleep in and easy to keep clean. I’ve heard some pale Australians say that they get their hair braided that way for vacations because the style is so convenient when swimming a lot especially. So putting the braids in and taking them out the next day seems to erase all the benefits.
@Jwoolman…That’s because she did it for attention. She 100% knew that this would be the reaction but nothing was going to stop her from getting her attention fix. She doesn’t really love or appreciate cornrows, she’s just doing it to taunt black women and to get press.
She’s so thirsty. I don’t think she’s getting the love she needs from Kanye. So she’s seeking attention from the internet. I was on Instagram yesterday and she kept posting naked pic after naked pick and it was SO Obvious that they were a ploy the get press.
You’d think 3 children, a mother, 4 sisters, 1 brother, and countless nieces and nephews would give her enough attention. None of that matters if we the public aren’t talking about her I guess.
She’s so pathetic and thirsty these days. A “magazine shoot”. I’m sure it’s totally for Vogue and not at all because she did her hair, got naked, and took grainy shots to just post on instagram for attention.
She’s been posting nudies also. She’s super thirsty for attention.
More like I Need More Attention vulture.
I’m always astounded by the number of black women who still fan girl this woman and her sisters. Their M.O. is the same every time. Do something controversial, trend on social media, and then give a halfhearted victim-like apology. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Ugh.
I think it’s over-dramatic to call her out for this…I mean, the reality is that she did copy Bo Derek’s look exactly. Now, she would’ve known this would happen, so clearly, it’s all for attention, but still. Such a non-event.
You’ve clearly missed the point that this isn’t “Bo Derek’s look” nor ever was.
Honest question. I have a close female friend who is black. One day she was running her fingers through my hair ( I’m half Korean ) & asked if she could cornrow it for me. I said it would look ridiculous because my hair is so thin & fine. But she insisted her Mom’s hair is the same & looks good. Would I be lambasted if I let her & sported it out and about?
“Lambasted?”
Sigh.
By who?
People on the street don’t know you or where you come from. I don’t presume people’s background. Neither do most people. It’s none of my business how you wear your hair. Did anyone attack that counting crows guy, Adam Duritz, for wearing dreads all of his career before he finally lost his hair for good?
Now if you start wearing cornrows, and calling them ‘Britney Spears braids,’ people might have an issue.
So wearing cornrows and giving credit to their cultural origin would be okay for a non-POC?
@letitgo Lambasted? Seems applicable to me. Kim is ‘harshly criticized’ (the definition of lambasted). Why does this irk you? Is your sole objection to Kim’s hair the fact that she called them Bo Derek braids?
@Zip…For me who is black but not American I feel that is OK to wear your hair however you like as long as you acknowledge where the style comes from(please see my response below if you wish) but I understand that some AA feel like white people shouldn’t wear black hairstyles at all. I personally would rather have a white person who is open to appreciating other cultures(as long as they don’t appropriate) than to have your racist garden variety Trump supporter who thinks that anybody who doesn’t look like them have nothing to offer the world.
@catfood
Black woman here but not an American and I am definitely not speaking on behalf of all black women personally I dont care who wants to wear braids or locks whatever but for me the problem is the columbusing that some white people love to do , they take these hair styles and pretend it’s something new and edgy that they discovered, Bo Derek braids , kardashian braids, I have even seen Bantu knots Being called mini French buns on a white model .LOL .
All of this while black women and girls are being called ghetto , shamed, fired from jobs and expelled from school for those exact hairstyles but it’s cool and edgy on white girls
I strongly believe in the age of social media and Twitter storms many people and companies are practicing what I like to call” Outrage marketing” and the Kardashians are an expert at this . I.e DELIBERATELY do something like this to get attention and black folks fall for it every single time , IMO the best way to deal with KIm k and her shanigans is to ignore her , lack of attention is the only thing that gets to her
I also wonder that too. I’m white, but I like some of the ways black women wear their hair. And I like the idea of wigs. But I also don’t want to be made fun of or be offensive by doing it. I would ask your friend what she thinks. My mixed husband says he thinks it would be OK for me to do it. Would any AA women please give us your opinion?
I’m black not American though and I think it’s great for people to immerse themselves in each other’s culture, whether it’s through hairstyle, clothing, music ect. I’m from the Caribbean and I don’t remember people having an issue with white/other people wearing their hair in our styles or wearing our traditional clothing. I remember it being a sense of pride when others appreciate our culture. That being said, America has such a deep dark history with race especially with treating black women like 3rd class citizen that I think there is much much awareness around appropriation in America. All this to say, I think it ok to wear your hair however you like but don’t braid your hair and then start calling your braids “Bo Derek braids”, “boxer braids” “Kardashian braids” ect THAT would be appropriation. Just don’t credit white people with black culture. That’s all.
OK thanks 😀
@heh and frosty
False equivalence, ignorant and also quite insulting.
First of all, skin, hair and eyes vary among human beings regardless of race, but especially within ‘racial’ groups like African Americans who have significant admixture.
Not to say, there aren’t black, brown, Asian and white women who bleach their skin, and bleach their hair – there are, but it has nothing to do with ‘appropriating,’ anything. How are you gonna tell an African American with red hair and freckles like Malcolm X that he’s appropriating YOU, when for example, you’re an Italian with black/brown hair and eyes?
gTFOH.
His red hair doesn’t make him white, anymore than my hazel eyes make me white.
I’m a black woman and my hair (sandy brown), eyes and skin are significantly lighter than Kim Kardashian’s. That doesn’t make me or my family not black. It also doesn’t mean that I’m ‘appropriating.’
#stopbeingeffingracist
@letitgo. question: how can you appropriate a culture you are actually a member of?
Kim did this to get people talking about her. She knows exactly what this means. She’s like a freaking monster who has an intense craving for attention. She can’t help herself.
What’s a white women hairstyle?
see: meghan markle
@boomboom
I’ll address you despite the racism in your answer-
Straight hair doesn’t belong to ‘white people,’ see Asians, Aboriginies, Indigenous people/Native Americans, etc.
But regarding Meghan, and the millions just like her — that’s what happens when you’re mostly white and/or mixed up, you can wear your hair long and straight or or kinky curly.
Don’t get mad at Meghan and spout dumb ignorant tiki torcher stuff, just pizz off Fuhrer TrumptyDumpty and his nazis and have some mixed kids.
@LetItGo: Exactly. I’m also not sure why people who leap to these whataboutisms compare straight, curly, or wavy hair to cornrows. Hairstyles and hair textures aren’t exactly the same thing.
I’m white with very unruly hair and one day a boss asked me to fix my hair with an irritating dismissive hand gesture. In a nutshell, go to the hair salon to straighten it.
While unpleasant, I don’t think this is the same experience as when dreads are considered filthy or afro sculpted hair like Lupita wears is “forbidden” or derided at school or prevents you from getting a job.
In my case it was about a certain gender conformity which I find sometimes can be equated with the lack of understanding of the cultural importance of black hairstyles. But it’s not the same, only a parallel can be drawn like in the amazing book “Bad Behaved Women Seldom Make History”.
@heh. good question. i think it’s anything that a white woman wants to do with her hair. there is no ‘appropriation’ if she copies a hairstyle she likes. the difficulty in definition lies with her intentions. Copy a hair style? Whatever, man. But copy a hair style to include yourself in someone else’s experiences (culture), not ok. (rachel dolazel, anyone?)
IMO, any woman, of any race, can wear her hair any damn way she wants, so long as her intentions are pure. It’s hard to tell at the surface what those intentions might be, but in most people, i believe we owe them the benefit of the doubt. i’d bet that 99% of women chose their hair style simply because they liked it.
now, obv, kim and her ilk (fame ho’s) are a whole other thing.
I’m annoyed but not at all surprised, this is a routine play from the Kardashian-Jenner playbook. Why is she so thirsty for attention?
umm, I don’t think you can compare Kim Kardashian to Lena Dunhamn. They are each problematic, but Kim’s repeated offences come from her being largely uneducated and stupid, whereas I think Lena’s issues stem from a sense of entitlement coupled with being a massive dickhead.
She’s not as educated as Lena Dunham, but she (usually) knows what she’s doing when it comes to drawing attention to herself. She knew adding this hairstyle to her nude photos would stir up controversy about cultural appropriation. As for calling them Bo Derek braids, that was either calculated to maximize the controversy by attributing this hairstyle to a famous white woman, or it was a calculated move for her to be able to innocently say she was just copying Bo Derek when the backlash came.
It’s true that Kim is not the brightest bulb in the box, but she knows exactly what she’s doing when it comes to fashion and hairstyles. She knew this would trigger people and give her attention.
Look at all the pics she posted. It’s not the hair that is offensive to me, it’s all of her nudes. Gross. Bo Derek saw them and threw up.
I’m not from America so I don’t really understand the ins/outs of what is/isn’t okay between you guys over there but to me this is a total non-issue. It’s a pretty hairstyle that people of all races can replicate on their hair. If they want to, why not?
@Suki you may not understand why it’s offensive but please take our word for it when we tell you it is. There’s a lot of history and politics behind black hair and PoC are still harassed for wearing natural and protective hairstyles. Accept and respect our feelings please.
@Catfoodjunkie the onus does not fall on me or any other Black people to educate Suki on why cultural appropriation of Black hairstyles is inappropriate and offensive. If she truly is seeking understanding it falls to her to do the work and educate herself but FWIW I did briefly touch on why it is offensive and other posters went into even further detail. If you want to dismiss my feelings out of hand I think it says a lot more about you than it does about me,ijs.
I said a similar thing to you in another comment. From what I’ve gathered, this seems to be a big issue in the United States, but not in other countries. It’s something very pertinent to the African American culture for what Tanesha86 says, but I haven’t seen it in any other communities with african roots in the rest of America (the continent).
Ignorance is not an adequate defense for insensitivity when we all have answers to every question at our very fingertips. Simple Google search will yield tons of articles on this very subject.
I think the problem is many people who don’t live in the United States aren’t aware that this is even an issue, until they encounter a situation like this one. While I agree with you that you can find many articles online about this subject, hearing direct opinions and testimonies from people about their culture and why they feel such way is always a plus.
Kitten-
Girl!!!! Say it one more time for the people in the back! Ask the good girl Google if you actually cared to know. This is also not the first, second, or third time this issue has been discussed on the site.
@kitten. @tanesha86 @suki. I don’t think @Suki is being deliberately obtuse, nor is she hiding behind a shield of ignorance. she’s simply looking for insight, from real people with whom she shares a gossip collective. why send her to google like she’s playing games? aren’t discussion boards like these an aid to people’s learning and understanding? FWIW, if you told me to just accept and respect your opinions, i’d seriously question that request…. it’s very much ‘fall in line’ speak, and most people instantly reject that, for good reason.
if we’re just here to dump on kim, etc., then let me know, cuz i missed that letter. yea, it’s a gossip site, but there is so much more being discussed. most of it is enlightening — some of it’s bigotry – but it’s always interesting.
@Mina I agree. Sometimes those journalist writing those articles do not give a clear picture as much as a first hand account that you get from someone. Like I said is my other post in my Caribbean country this was not a thing, no one saw it as a problem when white people borrowed elements(clothing, hairstyle) of our culture. And there is no such thing as too much knowledge. You can browse Google and still speak to people about something. I’ve noticed this trend where people get mad and call you ignorant if you don’t know but also get mad if you ask them for knowledge. Damn if you do damn if you don’t.
She knows HATE gets her A LOT of attention…something she hasn’t been getting lately. She has tried posting multiple nude pics, no one cared lol. Now she’s doing this because she knows it will get people to talk. Same old sh*t from her. At this point, she knows it’s wrong but does it anyway…because any attention is good attention to this family !
Ever since I was a kid I travelled a lot to Mexico and the Caribbean and, even in other beaches in South America, it was really a must to get that hairstyle done by the locals. Never anyone even remotely considered it could be disrespectful or appropriating another culture, on the contrary, it was a welcome thing. So I do wonder, is this a very recent thing, an issue mostly in the United States, or do other non americans in this site have seen similar reactions in their countries? I’m very curious as to how different cultures face this topic.
@mina I live in the west indies (lesser antilles) and i can tell you, the locals do not care one whit what you do with your hair. 🙂
As someone who from the Antilles(Grandes), I agree. Totally American.
Its an American thing.
I think its mostly a thing in the United States. In Mexican coasts, it is even the livelihood of some people (although that has mostly to do with poverty…) but I’ve never seen someone outraged because of tourists get their hair braided
Could it be…it wasn’t perceived as disrespectful or cultural appropriation because…it wasn’t? Context matters, folks. If you were to set up shop right alongside those braiders and pretend you started something new, then you’d have a problem.
What is going on with Kim and Kanye?
Hobest question here fellow readers…
What do you think he feels about his marriage. He has stayed away from speaking for over a year now. Do you think he wants out? I kind of feel sorry for Kanye nowadays. There are a few shots of him smiling once in a while and he looks adorable… i dont know… *shrug
Maybe they have him drugged up? I’m serious. Perhaps because of his mental instability over the past couple of years a doctor has medicated him a little too much? This might explain things.
I have no problem with Kim wearing braids, but calling them bo Derek braids is ridiculous
I’m sorry, didn’t she just have a baby?!?!?! WHO HAS THE TIME WITH A NEWBORN TO A) SIT DOWN LONG ENOUGH TO GET BRAIDS DONE AND B) POST NAKED PICTURES ON INSTAGRAM? While her lack of respect and cultural appropriation is a major issue, the neglect of her newborn is worse.
When you have like 10 nannies, you get some free time I assume.
Her baby is FAR from being neglected! Ha! That baby is being cared for a million times better than almost every living human.
The car of a nanny isn’t the same as the care of your mother. I have a nanny, she doesn’t love my kids the way that I do and they don’t bond with her the way they bond with me. But I’m also a working peasant so maybe Kim has special ones lol
@dee. c’mon — if you’ve got children, of any age, you know there’s usually mommy time. kids are napping, at a playdate, or simply entertaining themselves. this is not a working woman we’re talking about, who’s forced to juggle like a madwoman. i see a lot of discussion about mommies being overwhelmed and grateful for a 15 minute bath, and rightly so – with work, meals, housekeeping, etc….. but this is not that mommy. and for the love of god, the NANNIES, so. many. nannies.
Yes, but I think the idea is that braids take many hours to do (like 6-9 hours sometimes). That is much longer than a playdate or a nap. This could be a wig, though.
Seriously she has a newborn who was born by surrogate. She should be spending her time bonding with that baby. That baby will feel a loss of the gestational carrier as it has heard her voice and felt her presence for 9 months. The need to Kim has for attention is insatiable. (See fellow narcissist, Donald Trump)
Cat – this isn’t just plain old spare time. The pictures alone probably took her over an hour. Then editing them. Captioning and posting and obsessively refreshing to see that she has all the attention she needs. And, just like Tiffany said, those braids didn’t take 20 min (definitely not a wig either). I agree with mltpsych 100%. She has a baby via surrogate that she needs to bond with. Plus, she has 2 other kids. I doubt everyone is napping or occupied at the same time. She’s just so vapid.
I can get many issues with Kim, but I can’t stand when women sh*t on mothers for having actual me-time. Every human deserves some time alone, and their needs met. I know she has many nannies – good for her. Sanctimommies (“why’d you buy yourself a dress? You could buy sth for the CHILDREN!”) are the worst. THE WORST.
There’s a difference between 2-3 hours of me time than 5+ hours to get braids done and another 1-2 hours taking pictures of yourself naked. That’s half the day right there. I am THE biggest mom supporter, especially as a working mom. I’m anything but a sanctimommy. I don’t care how she raises her kids or what she allows me, but she literally just had a baby.
She looks awful, as usual. The hairstyle accentuates how warped her face is looking these days.
Amazing that she has time for all that styling and picture-taking with a newborn to care for! Oh, right, nannies…
A new born, plus two other children. Even Kanye is out of the country. Yeah I hope their nannies get paid really well because I am sure they do A LOT of work. She also has a chef to cook, a maid to clean, and probably someone to do the laundry too. So much free time on her hands ! She should use it more wisely.
I have a question, please don’t get mad. Is the problem that she is white and wearing them? Or is it the term she called them? Or both? The face that she’s trying to give credit to a white woman for the braids? I don’t know who Bo Derek is?
Bo Derek is an actress who was very popular in the 70s and did a movie called “10”, in which she played the object of desire of a man. Her look in a bathing suit with cornrows was very iconic at the time. She’s a white, blonde woman and to many women around the world who aren’t aware of African American culture, that hair style became known as “Bo Derek style”. Of course, that was in 1979, and there was no internet or many ways to learn about other cultures unless you traveled to those places or saw a documentary on TV.
But now in 2018, with social media and social awareness, it’s hard to believe Kim wouldn’t know attributing a traditional African hairstyle to a white actress will be considered disrespectful. Especially in her case, who has black family and mixed race kids, she should be more aware. I think the problem most people have is that she’s obviously aware and is probably doing it for attention. I also think there’s a few that just dislike Kim, because of who she is, flaunting something so relevant to their culture, even if she hadn’t called them Bo Derek braids.
Thank you for this explanation. I thought Bo Derek was a male baseball player?!?! Ugh. I’m sorry. Thank you for the non aggressive reply. When I don’t know something, I find the best way is to swallow the pride and ask.
I for my part don’t believe that you must have an african ancestor to be entitled to wear this hairstyle. And that hairstyle is basically not just an african traditional hairstyle but many nomadic tribes in Asia and in Europe wore similarly braided hair, too.
I say we start treating her and the rest of the Klan like Parasite Hilton. Stop posting about them. Let’s make 2018 our year of not giving a F about them? Please????
And this is yet another reason she and Beyonce will never be friends.
My dislike for the K-family is immense, but Beyonce really can’t judge on such topics.
https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/7rOysfv3RdaY6ECVaKfY5t3zDDg=/640×360/2016%2F01%2F30%2F75%2Fcold.ccdc7.jpg
There are a bunch of things working in this mess: Kim is dealing with an IQ deficit, ignorance due to being a narcissist, a pathological need for attention, an addiction to looking at her own image/appearance, and the fact that this family pass a baton when one of the other’s is in some meltdown…e.g., Rob, and Kylie’s absence, Krusty Kris passes her the baton and says, “cause a commotion, Beyonce is getting press!” None of the other liars were available.
I got my hair braided in Punta del Este, Uruguay, when I was 12. Was I appropriating a culture? I’m honestly asking.
I got my hair braided in Spain when I was 10. My hair is blonde.
I was very excited about it and hope in no way I was offending anyone. I just wanted pretty braids and colorful beads in my hair 🙁
I do think the whole Bo Derek comment is in poor taste and Kim surely knew it would create talk.
If she wants to shock me she should braid her pubes.
Lol
On the bright side, I now know they’re called “Funlani” braids.
Get real. It is just braided hair. And probably some fake hair, too. No “culture” has a patent on braiding hair.
There are people who die because they can’t afford a health insurance in one of the richest countries on this planet. THAT is something to get angry about.
Kim K.’s braids? Duhhhh… relax.
If that’s not enough, if you scroll down her Twitter feed a bit she showcases her “signature soul food menu.” She’s SO thirsty.
I think it was a semantic over sight considering she was styled exactly like Bo Derek for that magazine shoot. If she just had those braids for no other reason with no homage via a magazine to Bo Derek and was referring to them as Bo Derek braids then that would be cringe worthy.
I can’t believe she has a newborn and has time to do this.
Close your mouth kim!
She’s morphing into Cher. Too much plastic surgery. She ugly.
They are on her head and she can cal them whatever she wants. Did any of you consider the colour of the braids? I also got a Bo Derek vibe before even reading what she wrote because they are blonde braids.
I still don’t see a problem with the cornrows. I think there are few offensive examples of cultural appropriation, but they would have to include not only claiming the culture of others as your own, but simultaneously REJECTING or DEMEANING the people of that culture…. Merely appreciating other cultures and using some elements of their art/history/tradition is not “cultural appropriation.”
SJW’s make the same claims about yoga, but what they don’t want to acknowledge or realize is that yoga was formally introduced in the west through Sanskrit to English or Hindi to English translations of Indian epics. It gained momentum in the west after late 1800’s after Swami Vivekananda and other gurus traveled to west, promoting it for spiritual enlightenment. It was never “co-opted” by westerners who were “appropriating” a culture.