The 'Sexy Can I' hitmaker and his sister Brandy come to the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star's defense after she's accused of cultural appropriation with the hairstyle.
- Mar 5, 2020
AceShowbiz - Ray J has defended his ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian after she landed in hot water for rocking cornrow braids at Paris Fashion Week. Instead of agreeing with people who dubbed it "cultural appropriation," the rapper and his elder sister Brandy think that it's a compliment to black culture.
"I got nothing but respect. I just think that, if you are paying homage to another culture by you know, rocking the braids, I think it's a compliment," the singer/songwriter said when stopping by "The Talk" on Wednesday, March 4 with his sister. "It should be looked at, it’s going global, you know."
Sharing his different outlook on the controversy, the 39-year-old artist continued, "And, I think that when you get up and you feel good and you look good and other people say, 'hey, I want to look like that,' I want to feel good... it should be a compliment and a plus."
Brandy, who was wearing braids on the show, also weighed in on the matter, suggesting that people got a little too sensitive with it. "I don't think that she's guilty. I definitely believe in that, but I think it's reaching a little bit," she said. "I mean, it's great, I love braids. I think everybody should have braids, but I think we're going too far with that with her."
Kim sparked backlash after she showed up with waist-length braids at Kanye West's Yeezy show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Monday, March 2. Her hair matched the hairstyles of her daughter North West and niece Penelope Disick.
People then took to social media to blast the mother of four for her hairstyle, with one writing, "okay at first I was defending her saying she may be trying to go for the brown middle eastern look since she can pass for looking middle eastern, but this is straight up blackfishing though."
"I can't stand Kim k and her damn braids like b***h when are y'all gonna stop appropriating our culture," another Twitter user complained. "YOU ARE NOT BLACK," someone else strongly reminded Kim.
It was far from the first time the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star sported braids. Ahead of her appearance at Paris Fashion Week, she shared throwback photos on Instagram featuring her rocking the same hairstyle during a photo shoot. "Flash Back to my shoot with Vanessa Beecroft," she captioned the post.
Kim has not responded to the latest controversy, but she has previously defended her "Bo Derek braids." She said in 2018, "Obviously know they're called Fulani braids and I know the origin of where they came from and I'm totally respectful of that." She added, "I'm not tone deaf to where I don't get it. I do get it...In no way am I ever trying to disrespect anyone's culture by wearing braids."
