Kendall Jenner and Vogue have been accused of cultural appropriation after one of the younger Kardashian castmembers appeared in a photo where her hair was made up in the style of an afro.
Vogue posted multiple images from the shoot on Instagram last week and people had strong reactions online. First there was a picture of Jenner with model Imaan Hammam and then a solo picture with just Jenner that apparently caused the bulk of the internet backlash.
Some people were happy with the images, but others were decidedly not. Enough people reacted that Vogue had to issue a statement, which E! News obtained. Via E!:
“The image is meant to be an update of the romantic Edwardian/Gibson Girl hair which suits the period feel of the Brock Collection, and also the big hair of the ’60s and the early ’70s, that puffed-out, teased-out look of those eras. We apologize if it came across differently than intended, and we certainly did not mean to offend anyone by it.”
In April 2017 Jenner appeared in a controversial Pepsi ad where she handed a police officer a soda to help diffuse tension during a protest. Later that year Kendall and her sister Kylie faced some criticism for putting their faces and initials over classic images of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G.. It should be assumed that this Vogue shoot also falls under the “all publicity” heading for the Kardashian empire.
(E!)