Cardi B Apologizes After Being Accused of Cultural Appropriation in Reebok Campaign

Cardi B apologized via her Instagram stories on Wednesday after being accused of cultural appropriation on Twitter for an image from her latest Reebok campaign photoshoot, which was inspired by the Hindu goddess Duga. In the image, the rapper appeared to be mimicking the deity, which is traditionally depicted with several arms, as she posed with one of the shoes from the new collection.

In the four clips that she posted on her Instagram stories, Cardi spoke to the camera of her cellphone in a dark room.

“When I did the Reebok shoot the creative told me I’d be a goddess that represents strength, femininity and liberation, and that is something I love, that I’m all about and I thought it was dope.”

The singer explained that her fans warned her about the accusations being made online. She went on to say she was “sorry” if she had offended people and that it was never her intention to do so. She agreed with those who had been offended by the image, saying that she “wouldn’t want anyone to disrespect” her religion by dressing as the Virgin Mary or Jesus for an ad campaign.

In her final statement, she reiterated her apology, admitted that she should have gotten more information beforehand, and made a promise to “do more research in the future.”

Some Twitter users expressed their outrage, claiming that the music star was trying to compare herself to the religious icon and that she was completely “oblivious.” Others pointed out that the image was highly offensive and insensitive to the South Asian community.

“If you think that new Cardi B photoshoot with the ‘homage’ is not offensive please sb me I’m literally so tired of people constantly turning a blind eye whenever south asians speak about cultural appropriation… You’re all so fake woke sometimes….” one person wrote in a tweet.

However, some people defended the artist, pointing out the hypocrisy of calling out Cardi when other performers have been engaging in cultural appropriation for years without facing similar backlash.

“Not ya’ll trying to cancel Cardi B, when pop divas are doing cultural appropriation for years and ya’ll cricked,” another person tweeted.

Cardi has been promoting her new collaboration with the American footwear brand this week on her social media profiles. She’s posted several pictures and videos of her friends receiving exclusive items from the collection, which will drop on November 13.