There's Already Controversy Surrounding Kim Kardashian West's Beauty Line
The products haven't even been released yet!
Let's review: Kim Kardashian West will launch her own beauty line, KKW Beauty, later this week. The first product in the hotly anticipated line will be the Creme Contour and Highlight Kit, which capitalizes on the bronzed lewk the Calabasas queen made famous. So, that's it, right? The whole world is patiently counting down the days till June 21, just waiting to get their hands on that creamy, face-chiseling potion? Well, not as such. First, there's a little backlash to deal with.
It seems that not only does makeup-mogul talent run in the Kar-Jenner clan—so does controversy surrounding said makeup. And before Kim's products have even officially launched, the Internet is in a uproar over a controversial photo KKW posted to show off her glow. Last week, the star appeared in a promotional photo wearing high, sleek pontyail and plenty of product that made her appear to have a dark tan.
Commenters started in right away, accusing the Selfish author of cultural appropriation. On Twitter, user @tOtallybitch summed up many of the sentiments when she said: "How did a team of PR people all look at the photo of Kim in blackface and then tell her to post it AND make it her avi?" Yikes.
The New York Times asked the budding beauty mogul about the controversy. "I would obviously never want to offend anyone," Kim said. "I was really tan when we shot the images, and it might be that the contrast was off. But I showed the image to many people, to many in the business. No one brought that to our attention. No one mentioned it. Of course, I have the utmost respect for why people might feel the way they did. But we made the necessary changes to that photo and the rest of the photos. We saw the problem, and we adapted and changed right away. Definitely I have learned from it." Always tactful, that Kim.
