Yesterday, Khloe Kardashian posted an Instagram photo for her 23 million followers (and the rest of the world to see) of her sultry green eyes peeping out of a traditional muslim niqab and hijab. The 30-year-old KUWTK star is currently in Dubai and it seems like she felt it was culturally sensitive to wear clothing that women customarily wear there (but do not have to), then what’s the problem? The photo itself is seemingly not that controversial at first, but she posted it with a caption that reads “Habibi Love” which, for those of us who don’t speak Arabic, translates to “my baby” or “my darling.” Is it possible that she confused the word “hijab” with “habibi?” This is understandable considering KK’s native language is obviously not Arabic. As on and off again girlfriend of Muslim rapper French Montana, many people have speculated that maybe she was trying to pay her respects to her significant other’s culture?
Whatever the purpose of this post was, our girl Khlo is getting backlash from it in contrast with support from some of her most loyal fans. The photo has over 713k likes and 37,000 comments that range from “this is disgusting” and “Y r the Kardashians trying to appropriate almost every culture??? Wat is wrong with them?” to more supportive rants like “it’s not the Muslims getting offended, it’s all these white people thinking she’s being racist, we appreciate she’s wearing this, in Dubai it’s optional to wear it, you can wear it if you want and if she wants to its her choice.”
Maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on her, after all she isn’t the first celeb who’s maybe crossed the cultural boundaries to make us feel uneasy, and she is human.
Here are 5 other times our favorite celebs may have crossed some cultural boundaries:
1. Britney Spears Kabbalah Tattoo
In 2008 the long time pop princess got the tattoo removed on the back of her neck that was supposedly her last trace of Jewishness. (Since when was Brit a Jew)? The former Hebrew letters suggested that Spears took “responsibility for everything in her life and accepted that she could heal herself in all ways.” She said she got the tat removed because it was hypocritical and she really was no longer “in control” of her life (poor Brit).
2. Miley and the Biggie/Tupac Dress
In November 2013, Miley wore a dress with late rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur iconic face’s plastered across her stomach and ass with words that read “please stop violence” to the EMA’s. The halter “dress,” she said was vintage, laced up the front and sides just covering her lady bits, and in the back had thong-like straps coming from her ass. Most people in music were offended by a white girl without much presence in the world of gangsta rap wearing something like this, and even though they’ve both been gone since the late 90’s maybe, it’s too soon to paste them on your ass Miley.
3. Vanessa Hudgens Coachella Headdress
It’s no secret that Hudgens is our favorite bohemian sweetheart, but when at Coachella 2014 she decided to wear a giant Native American headdress to the festival and post the photos to her Instagram, we had to ask if her choice of accessories were a little too boho.
4. Khloe and Scott as “Sheik Pussy”
We know that Khloe loves to push boundaries and turn heads, so when for Halloween 2014 her and partner in crime Scott Disick dressed as a sexy kitty and a sheik it was no surprise when she posted an Instagram photo with the caption “Sheik Pussy.” People were offended by both her comment and Scott’s costume.
5. Madonna’s Unapologetic Racism
This March, Madonna dropped her album “Rebel Heart” with an image of her airbrushed face and pouting lips bound in crazy plastic twine. Several months ago to promote the album, she took to Instagram posting photos of iconic activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Bob Marley bound in the same twine. It’s hard to say if the “Like a Virgin” veteran is comparing her own “Rebel Heart” to that of these people, or if she just really needs publicity whether it be good or bad.