Kim Kardashian Accused of Wearing Blackface to Match North West’s Skin Tone
Update: Aug. 29, 2017 at 5:05 p.m. EST
Kim Kardashian is being accused of wearing blackface in her Jackie Kennedy-themed Interview magazine photoshoot with her 4-year-old daughter, North West. The 36-year-old reality star, who also came under fire for equating herself to the late First Lady, is now being criticized for what some perceive as darkening her skin to match her daughter’s. West, who’s the daughter of Kanye West, is half-black.
Given that the interview discussed the KKW Beauty mogul’s reality raising a biracial daughter, many critics saw Kardashian’s supposed darkened skin tone as hypocritical. Other critics slammed the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star for allegedly attempting to make the mother-and-daughter photoshoot more aesthetically pleasing by matching her skin tone to her half-black daughter.
As of publication, Kardashian nor Interview has responded to the blackface allegations.
Original story: Aug. 28, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. EST
A new Kim Kardashian photo shoot is stirring up controversy—and this time, it’s not for her usual nude antics. Instead, the 36-year-old reality star is fully dressed and posing with her 4-year-old daughter, North West. The concept is as non-controversial as can be—aside from the fact that Kim is dressed head-to-toe as Jackie Kennedy.
The photoshoot, which was for Interview magazine’s September issue, features Kim dressed in several Jackie O-like outfits, such as a fitted wool Chanel dress with gloves and a brunette bouffant, an ankle-length black dress with pearls, and tons of other tweed and wool skirt-suits fit for a First Lady.
Interview even deemed the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star as the country’s most powerful woman with the headline “America’s New First Lady,” which accompanied a piece written by Janet Mock.
MORE: 10 Times Kim Kardashian Asked the Most WTF Questions
Though celebrities have been dressing up as John F. Kennedy‘s wife for years off-screen and on, Interview‘s declaration that Kim is America’s new First Lady and that she possesses as much stature as Jackie O seems a little odd—even if her husband Kanye West half-joked that he was going to run for President in 2020.
And while it’s undeniable that Kim has built an empire for herself and arguably her five siblings and numerous other Kardashian-adjacent celebrities, putting her in Jackie Kennedy’s shoes just seems like an invitation to get roasted. If you need further evidence, take a look at these tweets, calling the photoshoot all kinds of cringe-worthy.
MORE: This Is the Beauty Product Kim Kardashian and Nicole Richie Shoplifted When They Were 11
Of course, like the PR queen she is, Kim’s Jackie O stunt might just have been coincidentally timed to overshadow the shade Taylor Swift threw at her with her new music video last night. If this is true, maybe Kim does deserve the label of First Lady for her epic abilities to manipulate optics.
