Kim Kardashian’s New Shapewear Brand Is Being Accused of Cultural Appropriation
Earlier this week Kim Kardashian West announced she’d be launching yet another new business venture: an affordable, size-inclusive shapewear line.
“Finally I can share with you guys this project that I have been developing for the last year. I’ve been passionate about this for 15 years,” she wrote on Instagram. “I would always cut up my shapewear to make my own styles, and there have also been so many times I couldn’t find a [shapewear] color that blended with my skin tone, so we needed a solution for all of this.”
Many were excited about the range of the collection: pieces going up to a 4XL, available in nine different shades, priced accessibly. However, in the days since her reveal, there has been backlash bubbling up on the Internet because of the brand’s name, Kimono.
People have accused Kardashian West of cultural appropriation over the name of her shapewear line. There’s even a hashtag: #KimOhNo.
“Wow, @KimKardashian. Thanks for BUTCHERING Japanese culture!!! My culture is not your plaything.” one Twitter user wrote. “You don’t have any respect for people who are not your family, do you? In the 15 yrs developing this project, couldn’t you find a cultural advisor?”
“The year is 2039. A child is asked what a kimono is. They reply with “Kim Kardashian’s shapewear range.” And there begins the gradual erasure & dilution of the kimono’s rich cultural history for future generations. One of many reasons why trademarking it is NOT OKAY #KimOhNo,” another said.