THE Kardashians have been criticized in a scathing Los Angeles Times article, which bashes their transformed appearances and high-profile relationships with black men.
The review comes days after the premiere of the famous family’s new Hulu series.
The author does not go lightly on the widely successful TV stars as they scrutinized the show for its unrelatable portrayal of reality.
The opinion piece also slammed the Kardashian-Jenner clan for their altered looks because they “pretend they were simply born that way.”
In one remark, they accused the women for creating “impossible beauty standards” as role models to young girls who admire their curvy figures.
Sisters Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall, and Kylie have been called out over the years for their body makeovers, although they frequently deny plastic surgery was involved.
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The matriarch of the family Kris Jenner has also been questioned over her youthful appearance.
The journalist’s harsh words didn’t stop there as they also commented on the women’s bi-racial relationships. Their partners have included a number of black celebrities.
Kim and rapper Kanye West recently ended their nearly seven-year marriage. They share four children together; daughters North, eight, and Chicago, four, and sons Saint, six, and Psalm, two.
Khloe was also married to NBA star Lamar Odom for seven years before calling it quits in 2016, and moving on with basketball star Tristan Thompson.
The two share four-year-old daughter True.
Kylie is a mom to two children – a two-month-old son, and four-year-old daughter Stormi – with rapper Travis Scott.
Meanwhile Kris has also been in a long-standing relationship with business executive Corey Gamble.
The family, who comes from Armenian descent, drew criticism over their mixed race romances as the story highlighted a quote from Ren Ellis Neyra, a Wesleyan University associate professor of African American studies.
She wrote in the digital magazine Public Books: “The Kardashians are a prime example of multiracial white supremacy.
“A commercial enterprise posing as a family, the Kardashians are hell-bent on extracting financial gain from Black people and Black culture, even as they stigmatize, in particular, Black women through their project of multiracial whiteness.”
The comment again points to their drastic physical transformations since their reality TV careers began in 2007, claiming their evolved appearances have mimicked black culture.
This wasn’t the first time the siblings’ looks got them into hot water for cultural appropriation as they have made some risky style choices in the past.
The girls’ use of wigs and extensions have made headlines as fans called them out for disrespecting the culture, which was the case in March 2019 when Khloe, 37, stepped out in a Diana Ross wig.
The reality star opted to switch up her normally straight locks to big blonde curls in honor of the singer’s 75th birthday.
However, fans weren’t happy with her look and accused the star of cultural appropriation due to the hair’s texture.
One Twitter user reacted: “Why does Khloe Kardashian want to be black this badly?”
While another was offended by the hair transformation tweeting: “Literally, Khloe, STOP IT…. the hair… STOP IT.”
And another agreed, writing: “What the hell? It seems more like she’s disrespecting Ms. Ross than honoring her.”
Khloe again faced criticism in March 2020 after sharing an Instagram photo of her donning cornrows with long, pink pastel ends.
Her older sister Kim, 41, also angered fans in March 2020 after rocking hair braids at Paris Fashion Week.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum shocked viewers by wearing the tight braids to her now ex-husband Kanye’s A/W 20/21 Paris Fashion Week show.
Reactions poured in online with a slew of harsh comments.
One person said: “I wish I was as determined to do anything as Kim Kardashian is to appropriate black hairstyles.”
Another added: “Can you please stop appropriating black culture?”
Last year, a TikTok user shared a throwback KUWTK clip of the mom-of-four enlisting help from Khloe and her sister Kourtney’s children’s father Scott Disick to remove her tight braids.
Scott, 38, happily cut some of them with scissors and compared it to “cutting carpet” before giving up when Kim asked him to unbraid some of the cut ends.
Fans took to the comments to accuse the star of cultural appropriation for wearing the style which is commonly worn in the black community.
One user wrote: “Culture vulture,” while another wrote: “Why is she getting braids? They’re not for her hair.”
Talking to Bustle at the time, in 2018, Kim said: “I actually didn’t see backlash. I actually did that look because North said she wanted braids and asked if I would do them with her.
“So we braided her hair and then we braided my hair. But I obviously know they’re called Fulani braids and I know the origin of where they came from and I’m totally respectful of that. I’m not tone deaf to where I don’t get it. I do get it.”
Kim again addressed the repeated backlash over her hairstyles and other blackfishing accusations in December 2021 in an interview with i-D magazine.
“Obviously, I would never do anything to appropriate any culture. But I have in the past got backlash from putting my hair in braids and I understand that,” Kim began, explaining that most of her hairstyles are influenced by her eight-year-old daughter North.
Kim’s younger half-siblings Kendall, 26, and Kylie, 24, didn’t appear to have learned from their big sisters’ mistakes as they’ve both also been slammed for appropriating black culture.
In August 2019, Kendall drew backlash when she was photographed in braids while out in Los Angeles.
Critics voiced their opinions on the supermodel’s hairstyle online as one person commented: “I’m EXHAUSTED of white people constantly appropriating black culture and wearing hairstyles that we are always ridiculed/ chastised for having and just doing it because they want to ‘look different’ or ‘stand out.'”
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A second user echoed the statement, adding: “We wear these hairstyles to PROTECT our natural hair from damages but they wanna wear it because it looks cool. It shouldn’t be worn by them period.”
Months later, Kylie accumulated similar responses when she debuted her hair in twists.
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