Khloé Kardashian has caused a stir after liking a post that jokes about Kim Kardashian’s numerous cultural appropriation scandals.
The post in question features footage of Kim showing off several diamonds, with a fake audio recording dubbed over to make it seem as though she’s bragging about owning “Blackness.”
“My favorite part of having these many diamonds is knowing just how much conflict went into getting them,” the audio says.
The clip then goes on to joke that the jewels are from Black Panther’s mythical nation of Wakanda, saying: “So, these are from Wakanda — Wakanda forever — so now I own Blackness!”
Several fans concluded that while the post was clearly shared for a laugh, the context behind the Kardashian/Jenners’ history of cultural appropriation is far from funny — especially not when one of the sisters joins in on the joke.
One of the most memorable examples of Kim being accused of appropriating Black culture involves her famous Paper magazine cover.
Kim quite literally broke the internet in 2014 when she balanced a champagne glass on her butt as part of the now-infamous photoshoot. The images were shot by Jean-Paul Goude, a photographer who has long been accused of fetishizing Black women.
And it turned out that the groundbreaking pose was actually an exact replica of one of Goude’s older works. In 1982, he photographed a nude Black model in the exact same position, which he featured in his book, Jungle Fever.
So, when fans learned of the inspiration behind Kim’s shoot, they accused her of “reenacting a photo that actively and decisively acknowledges the white pastime of fetishizing the Black female body.”
Kim has also been accused of appropriating Black culture when it comes to hairstyles, with her cornrows — a styling technique used to protect afro-textured hair — attracting criticism on several occasions.
Many internet users have spent years expressing their frustration at Kim wearing the style, given that Black women with cornrows have long been called unprofessional and unkept for rocking the very same thing.
But it’s not just Kim who’s been at the center of such controversies. Khloé has also long been accused of appropriating Black culture and, more prominently, fetishizing Black men.
In fact, Khloé has been very open about the fact that she “only” likes “Black guys,” and has poked fun at her pattern of exclusively dating Black men several times in various episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
And Khloé once actually advised Kim — who shares four children with Kanye West — to respond to someone who had racially abused her oldest daughter, North, by saying, “Hashtag fact, my baby is Black. Hashtag I only like black cock. That’s what I would say.”
What’s more, Khloé faced huge backlash in 2014 when she reposted a meme that joked about the KKK. The post featured a photo of Khloé, Kim, and Kourtney, alongside the text, “The only KKK to ever let Black men in.”
Fans were outraged by Khloé’s choice to share the meme, not just because the KKK have murdered and opposed the civil rights of Black people since the 1800s, but also because of her apparent comfort in making such an offensive joke.
This controversy was recently brought into view again by Kim’s ex-boyfriend, Ray J, who took to Instagram last month to share an old clip of Wendy Williams discussing the subject on her talk show.
And Khloé also faced backlash this year over another race-related scandal from the past, when old photos of her controversial 2003 Halloween costume reappeared across social media.
Khloé, who dressed up as a pimp alongside four Black women whom she held on leashes, was of engaging in “slave cosplay” when fans discovered the old photos. One of the women in the photo, Megan Good, expressed her regret at taking part in the group costume in 2009, writing on Instagram: “That one time on Halloween when you were young and dumb…and clearly didn’t think 15 years ahead lol smh.”
With all of this in mind, fans were frustrated with Khloé for liking a post that joked about Kim owning “Blackness,” and subsequently making light of these numerous scandals.
“Her liking this doesn’t sit right with me considering they steal from Blackness,” one person wrote. “Yeah the video is funny but she shouldn’t be laughing considering how much they offend and appropriate Black women. In her mind she probably thinks she’s laughing at/making fun of themselves but yeah, no,” said another.
Bringing her old Halloween costume into view, a third user replied: “Every time I think of Khloé, I can’t help but think of that terrible photo from the LV club (I believe it was LV,) and the collars and leashes. How did all those who approve, market etc… think that was a good idea? Very insulting and inconsiderate.”
Fans went on to call Khloé “out of touch” for hitting the like button, pointing out that she’s long refused to “address the role” her family have played in “appropriating Black culture.”
“That’s not funny that just shows how out of touch they are,” one user said. “I completely agree, it is very weird,” another added.
“how are you going to like this video when you refuse to address the role your family played in appropriating black culture as well as your past problematic behavior,” a third questioned.
“There is no accountability from them because they think they aren’t doing anything wrong. Which is sad knowing that they are raising black kids,” they added.
Interestingly, the subject of how the Kar/Jenners are raising their Black kids has been discussed time and again amongst fans, with Khloé in particular sparking controversy in 2018 when she said she does “not see color” in response to racist trolls who criticized her daughter’s skin tone.
Khloé, who shares two kids with Tristan Thompson, was speaking out against the racist comments she’d read about her little girl, True, when she casually noted that they “do not see color” in her household.
@narcicismo I try to put myself in their shoes &maybe they were brought up in a different type of household then I was. So instead of shaming I try to educate. In our household we do not see color. We see emotion and action. We see love. We feed off of energy
Several fans were quick to suggest that choosing to ignore True’s color meant that Khloé was “turning a blind eye” to the very real issues of racism that Black people face.
