When Kim Kardashian stepped out onto the MTV Movie Awards' red carpet on Saturday, her hairstyle – known as Fulani braids – sparked accusations of cultural appropriation. Now, in an interview with Bustle, Kim has explained her decision to wear the style, which originated in Africa.
'I actually didn't see backlash. I actually did that look because North said she wanted braids and asked if I would do them with her. So we braided her hair and then we braided my hair,' she said.
While some voiced their support of Kim's hairstyle on Twitter, many users took issue with her look, tweeting:
This wasn't the first time she's worn the style though. In January, she wore her then-blonde hair in Fulani braids with clear beads and called them 'Bo Derek braids,' referring to the white actress who wore them in the 1979 movie 10. However, she says she does understand why so many people found that problematic.
'I [do] remember the backlash when I had the blonde hair and that I called them "Bo Derek braids." But I obviously know they're called Fulani braids, and I know the origin of where they came from and I'm totally respectful of that,' Kim said. 'I'm not tone deaf to where I don't get it. I do get it.'
She added that she wears the braids to honor the culture that originated the style, and speculated that if she had explained that from the beginning and not given them that name, she wouldn't have sparked such a controversy.
'But in no way am I ever trying to disrespect anyone's culture by wearing braids. If anything, my daughter was so excited to see me get matching braids with her. [When] we did her hair in these braids, she was so excited.'
