12 November 2020
Newsdesk
Cardi B has apologised after being accused of cultural appropriation with a Hindu-themed photoshoot.
The 28-year-old appeared on the November cover of Footwear News imitating Durga, the Hindu goddess of war, strength and protection, who is usually depicted in traditional paintings with eight to 10 arms.
Cardi posed for the cover wearing a red dress while holding a pair of red sneakers from her debut Club C footwear collection in collaboration with Reebok.
After coming under fire for the image, with fans calling the her depiction of the Hindu goddess "racist" and "disrespectful", Cardi took to social media to apologise.
"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 explained on her Instagram Stories.
"And though it was dope, if people think I'm offending their culture or their religion I want to say I’m sorry. That was not my intent. I do not like disrespecting nobody's religion. I wouldn't like people to offend my religion," Cardi added, noting that she should have done her research before agreeing to pose like the Hindu goddess.
"I'm sorry, I can't change the past, but I will do more research for the future.”
A rep for Footwear News said that the cover was supposed to show Cardi as a "powerful woman", and have apologised after acknowledging the image could be perceived as "deeply offensive".
"We take full accountability for this oversight and we apologize. 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," they said.
Another cover will now be released to replace the Hindu-themed image.
