BuzzFeed Quizzes TV & Movies Shopping Videos Newsletters

Advertisement

Cardi B Said She "Should've Done Research" After She Was Accused Of "Mocking" Hindu Culture To Promote Her New Sneakers

"Maybe I should've done my research and I'm sorry."

Cardi B has apologised after facing backlash for cultural appropriation and being accused of "mocking" Hindu culture in a recent photo shoot.

Prince Williams / WireImage

It all went down after the "Bodak Yellow" rapper unveiled her latest collaboration with Reebok in a cover interview for Footwear News.

instagram.com

However, one of the images, which was apparently meant to depict the Hindu goddess Durga, sparked criticism across social media, with people accusing Cardi of "mocking" the culture and religion.

Advertisement

Others argued that it wasn't homage to Hindu culture and that it was instead just disrespectful.

Advertisement

Catching wind of the backlash from fans, Cardi quickly jumped on Instagram to apologise for the picture, admitting in a video that she should've done her research beforehand.

instagram.com

"When I did the Reebok shoot, the creatives were telling me, ‘You're going to represent a goddess,' that she represents strength, femininity, and liberation," Cardi explained. "That's something that I love and that I'm all about and I thought that it was dope."

instagram.com

"But if people think I'm offending [their] culture or their religion, I want to say I'm sorry," Cardi went on. "That was not my intent, I do not like disrespecting nobody's religion."

Instagram: @iamcardib

She added: "I wouldn't like people to offend my religion — when people dress as the Virgin Mary and Jesus, as long as [they're] doing it in a beautiful, graceful way and respectful way, I don't feel a certain type of way and I wasn't trying to be disrespectful."

"Maybe I should've done my research and I'm sorry," Cardi finished her video. "I can't change the past, but I'm gonna do more research for the future."

Advertisement

But while doubling down on her apology in a following Instagram Live video, Cardi also called for people to stop insulting her while teaching her about where she'd gone wrong.

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/iamcardib/?hl=en / Via youtube.com

"I do respect your opinion and I do respect your feelings, so I apologise for it," she said. "I do gotta do my research. I'm sorry, guys. I think people want us to know every word or every religion or everything, and sometimes we just don't know. But it's good to learn so I won't do it again."

"But while ya teaching me a lesson, and while ya telling me what to do, don't disrespect me neither," she continued. "Don't call me a bitch. Don't call me a whore. Don't call me a slut. Don't go saying that I'm a terrible person."

Close this modal Close this modal

In response to the backlash, Footwear News changed the cover image of the interview, removing the original picture altogether and apologising for the "oversight".

instagram.com

"One of the images was intended to pay homage to Hindu goddess Durga, and our intent was to show a powerful woman," the outlet said in an Instagram caption. "However, we realize we were not considerate of certain cultural and religious perspectives and how this could be perceived as deeply offensive."

"We take full accountability for this oversight and we apologize," the statement went on. "It is important we learn from this example and are sensitive to this sort of religious imagery when creative discussions are taking place in the future."

Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Share Share on Twitter Share on Twitter Share More More

More like this:

Comments
Unable to load comments. Try reloading this page or viewing the full site. Pop out
Show more Expand

Advertisement