Amandla Stenberg v.s Kylie Jenner
It’s been a week since young socialite Kylie Jenner came under fire from Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg for rocking cornrows on Instagram. The FMHipHop staff is a busy bunch, so forgive us for not jumping on this story sooner. But hey… we chase huge stories on a daily, so we have to prioritize.
Did Kylie really “appropriate black culture” by braiding her hair, or is she free to rock her wig any way she chooses? Actually, the question is trivial when you think about it. Celebrities like Beyoncé, Nene Leakes, Mary J. Blige, and other black women have famously donned blonde wigs and hairdos ad nauseam, with no backlash from white women who intrinsically “own” the genetic traits for light hair. So where does Amandla get the gumption to call out Kylie for simply sporting a hairstyle that basically looks fly no matter who rocks it?
Cultural appropriation is real, and “culture vultures” do, in fact, profit greatly by Xeroxing black culture and style. But Amandla, chill… accusing Kylie of stealing black style over braids on Instagram is reaching. Your vanguard stance on appropriation is on point and well documented. But you barked up the wrong tree on this one, boo. Just saying.
You the bomb on Hunger Games, though, ma-ma!
