Nope, just some extra sun! Kim Kardashian has responded to accusations that she wore blackface in promotional images for her upcoming makeup line, KKW Beauty.
“I would obviously never want to offend anyone,” the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, 36, told The New York Times in an interview published on Monday, June 19. “I used an amazing photographer and a team of people. I was really tan when we shot the images, and it might be that the contrast was off. But I showed the image to many people, to many in the business. No one brought that to our attention. No one mentioned it.”
#KKWBEAUTY Creme Contour & Highlight Kit 6.21.17 https://t.co/PoBZ3bhjs8 pic.twitter.com/hXLa3XHuVB
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 14, 2017
After Kardashian released the photos on her social media accounts last week, several critics accused her of darkening her skin to sell her new beauty products, with many claiming that the star was appropriating black culture. “Black women get told to lighten meanwhile Kim spends her entire career in perpetual Black face and is lauded for her beauty,” one Twitter user wrote. Another added, “I love Kim but that’s def black face in the form of makeup she is no where near that dark.”
Créme Contour and Highlight Kit coming 6.21 #KKWBEAUTY pic.twitter.com/ojf3Cg6wzg
— KKW BEAUTY (@kkwbeauty) June 15, 2017
The images were promptly taken down from the social media mogul’s accounts, and edited versions of the snaps were reposted soon after.
“Of course, I have the utmost respect for why people might feel the way they did,” Kardashian told The New York Times. “But we made the necessary changes to that photo and the rest of the photos. We saw the problem, and we adapted and changed right away. Definitely I have learned from it.”
KKW Beauty is set to be released on Wednesday, June 21. The line is projected to make millions of dollars in a matter of minutes.
