Cardi B Apologizes After She’s Called ‘Disrespectful’ Paying Homage To Hindu Goddess In New Shoot

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UPDATE (11/11/20 at 12:00 P.M.): Footwear News has retracted the initial cover for this publication. A new cover is being worked on as of press time, according to the publication.

Cardi B took to social media to apologize to anyone whose culture and religion she offended with her new Footwear News November cover. The Grammy-winner, 28, covers HollywoodLife‘s sister publication and pays homage to Durga, the Hindu goddess, whose symbols represent protection and strength. While the magazine stated (in a since deleted Instagram post) that Durga’s symbols “resonate as much in modern times as they have through the centuries,” and that “like Durga, Cardi B is a dominant female voice at a critical time,” the internet took issue with the rapper’s photo emulating the symbolic Goddess.

That’s it Everything changes when you apologise love you queen ☮️🕉🇮🇳#CardiB pic.twitter.com/vexw5BR492

— foreverBTS (@forever77709676) November 11, 2020

After her fans notified her of the backlash — in which critics labeled her as “insensitive” and “disrespectful” — Cardi took to her Instagram Stories to share a detailed apology in a series of clips. “A lot of my fans are telling I’m getting dragged throughout social media… because of my Reebok shoot and saying that I disrespected a Goddess,” she began, explaining that “when I did the Reebok shoot, the creative were telling me, ‘You’re going to represent a Goddess, that she represents strength, femininity and liberation, and that’s something that I love and that I’m all about,” she said.

Cardi continued, “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,” she said.

“When people dress as Virgin Mary and Jesus, as long as they do it in a beautiful, graceful way and a respectful way, I don’t feel a certain type of way But I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, maybe I should have done my research,” Cardi admitted, adding, “I’m sorry, I can’t change the past but I going to do more research for the future.”

The Footwear News cover shows Cardi emulating the Hindu Goddess, Durga (a warrior woman with eight arms and hands, while holding a bright red pair of sneakers from her Reebok collaboration. In the original image, Durga is posing with a sword and other weapons in her hands.

The “WAP” rapper did the photoshoot in promotion of her new Reebok shoe collection, dubbed “Club C,” in collaboration with the fashion brand. The shoe is available for sale on November 13.