Kim Kardashian is sticking to her guns and her “Bo Derek” braids. The reality television mogul recently sat down with ELLE, where she discussed a plethora of topics ranging from her marriage to rapper Kanye West, her makeup line KKW beauty, and surrogacy.
Cultural appropriation also crept into the conversation. In January, Kardashian debuted her newest hairstyle- Fulani braids- on social media, which she helmed “Bo Derek” braids. Naturally, she was attacked for her disregard for the fact that black women, not the actress, popularized the hairstyle.
However, the mother of three is standing her ground, and believes that she was “appreciating,” not appropriating, the style.
“I’m not worried, because I love Bo Derek,” she said about the controversy. “It’s a reference. If you genuinely love something, then it’s what you should do. It’s appreciation.” The feature’s author noted that Kardashian had the hairstyle in during their interview.
“It’s one thing when people mock something and are negative,” continued Mrs. West. “I’m clearly not being negative. Images mean a lot to me. I spend a lot of time on them.”
This wouldn’t be the first time Kim and her family came under fire for possible appropriation. For Halloween 2017, Kim’s Aaliyah costume was berated mercilessly, while actress Amandla Stenberg commented on Kylie Jenner’s cornrow clad Instagram photo in 2015, and schooled her on appropriation.