Kim Kardashian has — yet again — been accused of blackface
By Robin ZlotnickDec. 20 2019, Updated 10:54 a.m. ET
It can be difficult to surmise just what Kim Kardashian is famous for. One could make the argument that at this point, she's most famous for accusations of cultural appropriation and blackface. We can't seem to go six months without Kim doing a questionable photo shoot or making inappropriate style choices. It's been a while since the last accusation was floated, but here we are again.
Kim K. has again been accused of blackface, this time for a recent magazine cover shoot.
Kim was recently featured on the cover of 7 Hollywood, and the shoot was supposed to be retro, old Hollywood glam. But that's not how it came across, and Twitter immediately accused her of darkening her skin to try to look black.
After the bevy of accusations against her, you think she would go to great lengths to make absolutely sure no photo taken of her makes it look like she's clearly trying to be black. But alas, it seems Kim K has too much money to care about all the people she constantly disappoints.
Kim very proudly posted the photo shoot to her Instagram page, which prompted almost immediate criticism. "It's real fun to dress up as a Black woman, huh Kim?" one commenter wrote. "All while retaining full white privilege..."
"You look very beautiful Kim," another person wrote, "but it's getting to a point where you're hurting my feelings. It's hard being a black woman."
This is not the first time Kim Kardashian has been accused of blackface and cultural appropriation.
Most recently, she faced criticism of cultural appropriation when she attempted to name her shapewear line "Kimono," a traditional Japanese garment. The outrage was so loud that Kim eventually changed the name.
In 2017, Kim was accused of blackface when she posted a photo to plug her makeup line. There is no doubt that her skin was darkened for the photo she posted.
She was accused of cultural appropriation on another occasion when she decided to wear Fulani braids, a hairstyle that simply belongs to black women. Kim gets criticized and raked over the coals for decisions like these, but then it all seems to roll right off her back like nothing ever happened.
Some try to argue that in most of these cases, Kim wasn't the person with final say over the look of the photo or the style or the name. But personally, and especially if I had the resources and fame that Kim does, I would make sure every image I put out into the world could not be construed as appropriation or blackface.
The Kardashians have long been accused of "wanting to be black" and exploiting their white privilege to present themselves however they want to the world. Unfortunately, if history is any indicator, I'm not sure Kim is going to face any real consequences for this latest photo shoot. She'll be criticized for a few days, then nothing will change.
Black women are historically more marginalized than almost any other group in the country. It just completely sucks that Kim Kardashian continually takes advantage of her massive fame and fortune to get away with being so offensive and disappointing.