This newest scandal is just the latest in a long line of other similar accusations that almost every member of the Kardashian/Jenner family has faced over the years.
Kylie’s ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’ Controversy
A recent Instagram post by the make up mogul caused a stir online. Jenner posted a series of photos of herself modeling a black and white bodysuit with the caption, “brown-eyed girl.” Shortly afterward, an alleged screenshot of Jenner’s supposedly original caption began circulating online. This so-called “original” caption read, “brown-skinned girl” instead.
Instagram users quickly began accusing Jenner of editing her original caption after appropriating the term “brown-skinned girl” from women of color. This was yet another example of the Kardashians, and Jenner in particular, playing dress up as black women or other women of color, critics scolded.
Jenner’s team quickly denied the allegations, telling TMZ that the caption had never been edited and that Jenner hadn’t referred to herself in the post as a “brown-skinned girl.” Someone had clearly altered the caption, perhaps using photoshop, in order to troll the Kylie Skin creator, Jenner’s camp insisted.
What Is Cultural Appropriation Anyway?
Cultural appropriation is the adoption of one aspect of a culture by a member of a different culture. When a member of the dominant culture adopts an aspect of a disadvantaged or minority culture, this can cause controversy.
An example would be the controversial dreadlocked wigs worn by Marc Jacobs models in 2016. Critics called the designer out for using a hairstyle often attributed to Black and African peoples as an artistic flair while the people of color who wear the hairstyle in their regular life often face discrimination.
Similarly, people have often accused the Kardashian/Jenner family of cultural appropriation for wearing hairstyles, clothes, and even getting cosmetic surgery to mimic the hairstyles, clothing, and facial and body features most associated with black women.
The fact that many women in the family have dated black men, and some have biracial children, is also used as evidence that the Kardashians, and specifically Kylie Jenner, are using their proximity to blackness as a way to make themselves look edgy and relevant.
This behavior, where a white influencer heavily tans their skin, curls their hair, and make their lips fuller and more prominent is an example of “blackfishing,” another term often used to describe the Kardashian/Jenner family.
The word is a play on the term “catfishing,” in which a person portrays themselves online as someone other than who they really are. The Kardashians, particularly Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, have been accused of “blackfishing” for wearing their hair in cornrows to wearing a foundation that was much darker than their skin color.
Kardashian has pointed to her Armenian heritage to explain her darker skin tone in the past, specifically when she was accused of darkening her skin for her photoshoot with 7Hollywood Magazine.