Cardi B was met with criticism this week after the release of her Footwear News November cover, in which the rapper is seen holding a red sneaker and depicted as the Hindu goddess Durga.
Critics called out the star for cultural appropriation, deeming the cover inappropriate and accusing the rapper of mocking Hindu culture.
Cardi took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday morning (Nov. 11) to apologize for any offense she caused. “When I did the Reebok 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 said.
“And though it was dope, if people think I’m offending their culture or their religion I want to say I’m sorry,” she continued. “That was not my intent. I do not like disrespecting nobody’s religion. I wouldn’t like people to offend my religion. 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.”
Footwear News also released a statement to People, apologizing for its actions. “Yesterday we posted content from our exclusive Cardi B cover shoot. One of the images was intended to pay homage to Hindu goddess Durga, and our intent was to show a powerful woman. However, we realize we were not considerate of certain cultural and religious perspectives and how this could be perceived as deeply offensive.”
“We take full accountability for this oversight and we apologize,” the statement added. “It is important we learn from this example and are sensitive to this sort of religious imagery when creative discussions are taking place in the future. Today, we’re releasing another cover from the shoot that was a subscriber exclusive.”
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