Cardi B is very sorry if she offended anyone.
On Tuesday, the “WAP” rapper was featured on the new cover of Footwear News, holding a sneaker while posing like the Hindu goddess Durga.
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Footwear News explained the cover “pays homage to Durga, the Hindu goddess, whose symbols of protection and inner strength resonate as much in modern times as they have through the centuries. Like Durga, Cardi B is a dominant female voice at a critical time.”
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On Twitter, though, some fans accused Cardi and the magazine of cultural appropriation.
“Cardi B did not pay ‘homage’ to the Hindu goddess Durga by holding a shoe in her hand, this is plain disrespect and in no way cultural appreciation. She can’t get away with this without addressing and apologizing for mocking our culture,” one user wrote, according to Indian Express.
Another wrote, “Apparently this is Cardi B paying ‘homage’ to the Hindu goddess Durga…This is straight-up racist.”
Seeing the backlash, Cardi apologized for any offence she may have caused.
“When I did the shoot, the creatives told me I was going to represent a Goddess; that she represents strength, femininity and liberation, and that’s something I love and I’m all about,” she explained on Instagram. “And though it was dope, if people think I’m offending their culture or their religion I want to say that was not my intent. I do not like offending anyone’s religion; I wouldn’t like it if someone did it to my religion.”
Cardi added, “When people dress as Virgin Mary and Jesus, as long as they do it in a beautiful, graceful way…. But I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful; maybe I should have done my research. I’m sorry, I can’t change the past but I will do more research for the future.”
The magazine also featured a number of other photos featuring Cardi posing with the sneakers.
