Roommates, we’ve all known rapper Cardi B to speak out against criticism throughout her career! That’s exactly what happened after the expecting mama graced the world with two photos from her maternity shoot. In one of the photos, Cardi and her first-born daughter Kulture wore traditional white head wraps and outfits. Well, folks on the good ole’ internet seemingly accused the artist of cultural appropriation because Cardi B took to Instagram and Twitter to share her inspiration behind the look!
In the maternity shoot photo, Kulture’s hand is laid on her mama’s growing bump while they look at each other. Cardi’s outfit consists of a tall head wrap paired with a criss-cross top and high-slit skirt. Kulture was styled in a similar look, but wore a dress in place of a two-piece. She also rocked a miniature version of her mother’s head wrap. Both outfits are all-white in color and accessorized with gold jewelry. Underneath the post, Cardi penned a note to Kulture and her unborn sibling.
“I just know these two will love each other soo much and argue soo much since they’re 3 years apart…just like me and Henny,” Cardi wrote. “But one thing for sure is they’ll have each other’s back like no one else ever will.”
For those familiar with Afro-Caribbean culture, the outfits in the maternity shoot are similar in taste to clothing worn during traditional dances. However, it seems like internet critics interpreted the look as Cardi B. appropriating African cultural wear due to the similarity in style. This makes sense given that many traditional customs in Caribbean cultures are based on the practices of former enslaved Africans in the Caribbean.
Cardi B, seemingly feeling offended by the accusations, took to both Instagram and Twitter to shed some educational insight on the matter. The look was apparently inspired by Dominican cultural wear. As you may already know, Cardi B boasts an Afro-Caribbean background with roots in the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.
She shared photos of two women dancing in white cultural wear to her Instagram and Twitter accounts. In a third photo, she added a short comment saying “In the name of Afro-Caribbean’s don’t be a uncultured swine.”
She also posted a video of Dominican men and women wearing white wraps and wear engaged in a traditional dance. The post, made on her Instagram account, has since been deleted. By Wednesday morning, the maternity shoot photo of Cardi and Kulture had received over 10 million likes and more than 68,000 comments.
