A fan got straight to the point after Khloe Kardashian posted a throwback pic from her trip to Bali with baby True Thompson: “Cultural Appropriation.” The overwhelming majority of comments on Khloe’s Instagram pic were about True and her adorable smile, but some followers had a very good point — they shouldn’t be wearing those hats. “White girl with a black baby in a Chinese get up,” one fan wrote. “Could have done without the hats but okay,” said another. Another fan chided Khloe with, “please do not teach your child that cultural appropriation is acceptable DO BETTER.”
Khloe and True are wearing what’s called an Asian conical hat, known regionally (in English) as a rice hat, coolie hat, bamboo hat, and more. There’s no reason why Khloe and True should be wearing them. It’s a traditional Asian hat, and fans were really bothered by seeing them in it.
Cultural Appropriation??? Lol don’t come at me, but..”, one fan commented. While True looks adorable in the vacation photo, it’s now marred by Khloe’s choice of accessories. The matter is made worse by the fact that the Kardashian family, including Khloe herself, have been accused of cultural appropriation many times.
Khloe was in hot water after a 2015 trip to Dubai, where she posted a pic of herself wearing a niqab. Some felt she was appropriating Muslim culture and treating it like a costume, considering that she wasn’t required to wear it. A throwback photo showed her once wearing a full Native American headdress — not cool. There’s the matter of her hairstyle choices, too. Along with Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, Khloe was bashed for wearing “boxer braids” — aka corn rows. Wearing bantu knots was also a bad idea.
At least she apologized for once wearing a lace veil while Scott Disick and a friend dressed in traditional Arabian outfits. The pic was titled, “Sheik P***y.” Oof. “I’m really upset that I’ve offended anybody. I’m even more bothered that the commenters think I’m poking fun at their culture. I didn’t realize how offensive it was. I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong. I really just have to be more aware of what I write, even if I think it’s tongue in cheek and I have to be more sensitive to that. I’m sorry to anybody I offended. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do.”
So far, Khloe hasn’t responded to the criticism over her hat. We’ll update this post with her response if/when she addresses it.