Is Kim Kardashian Rocking Blackface on This New Magazine Cover?
Why do you do this, Kim? WHY!?! Oh, yes, so we can discuss it
Photo: Unsplash/@charissek
Why do you do this, Kim? WHY!?! Oh, yes, so we can discuss it. Okay, so let’s do exactly that. Kim Kardashian West, mom, wife, Internet queen, reality tv star, social justice activist, and multi-millionaire empire goddess has done it again. Recently, 7Hollywood magazine (we’ve never heard of it either), featured West on their latest magazine cover in full-on old Hollywood glam. But what’s sparking attention is how dark she appears in the photos.
According to several outlets, West’s photoshoot was supposed to mirror that of Elizabeth Taylor. West’s most jaw-dropping look isn’t the Thierry Mugler black-sequined dress, the short poofy wig, or the stunning eye makeup though, it’s her significantly browner complexion.
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People on social media were livid to see that once again, West was appropriating blackness — something that she and her sisters have been accused of regularly.
“Kim Kardashian don’t care about black women,” someone on Twitter said. “You can be as loud and upset as you want. KARDASHIANS DON’T CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN. Their brand is able to exist by getting access into black culture through black men who will defend them till the end cause they too hate black women.”
“The thing with Kim Kardashian and her family’s tireless history of cultural appropriation and Blackfishing is that she knows better,” another said. “They know better. But they continue to do this because they know outrage sells. They’re able to keep their name relevant by doing things like THIS.”
Comedian and Insecure star Amanda Seales posted a similar statement on her Instagram. In a 6-minute video, Seales goes on to say numerous times that West doesn’t care.
Page Six spoke to a source close to West and responded to the critics of her cover. They said West’s skin isn’t darker, it’s the lighting that made her look that way.
“It’s the lighting that makes her look darker in this specific image,” the source said to Page Six. “There are multiple covers and images from this shoot where the lighting looks more natural.”
But what is natural at this point? West’s skin tone is actually a mystery now because it’s taken on so many tones. West has gone from white to very dark. We get that she uses bronzer all the time, but that doesn’t make it okay to continue to further an appropriated blackness to fit a strategic narrative that will not only sell covers but have people talking.
Do you think Kardashian is appropriating black culture in her magazine cover? Let us know!
