Kim Kardashian accused of ‘cultural appropriation’ for wearing earrings with Hindu religious symbol Om… but some Indian fans leap to her defense
Kim Kardashian has faced accusations of ‘cultural appropriation’ for wearing a pair of earrings with a Hindu symbol, in a series of photos that were posted to her Twitter account last month.
The 40-year-old reality star caught the eyes of some of her followers by sporting the hoop earrings featuring Om, the central sacred symbol of Hinduism, as she lounged across a pink bed while showing off her cleavage.
But while some social media users lambasted her for using the religious symbol as ‘an accessory’ – other Indian fans also appreciated the jewelry and leapt to her defense saying they did not see it as ‘disrespect.’
Spot them: Kim Kardashian posed up a storm on Twitter recently in a photo-shoot that saw her lounging across a pink bed and wearing Om earrings
Om symbols have been popular in America for decades as Eastern philosophy and Hindu cultural traditions like yoga have grown in popularity.
However amid the recent debates about ‘cultural appropriation’ Kim’s jewelry selection caused her to fall afoul of some Twitter users.
‘Is now a good time to mention that the Om is a sacred symbol to Hindus and not just an accessory?’ wrote one Ria Sen.
Twitter user Niyati Sharma exclaimed: ‘STOP CULTURAL APPROPRIATION OF INDIAN CULTURE!!! WHAT’S UP WITH THOSE EARINGS GIRLLLL???’
Outrage: A few social media users in her replies lambasted her for ‘cultural appropriation’
One of Kim’s replies was from someone named Krishti who moaned: ‘Not the Om symbol as an accessory,’ while one Vivek Bandhekar wrote: ‘Om is sacred symbol of hindu… What the hell she doing with that.’
‘WHEN WILL YOU UNDERSTAND THAT A RELIGION IS NOT AN AESTHETIC,’ another Twitter user scolded Kim underneath her pictures.
However a number of Twitter users with Hindu names did not mind the jewelry, such as one Nitish Chauhan who wrote that she was ‘looking fantastic’ in the pictures.
‘I don’t see this as disrespect at all. How can you assume beyond reasonable doubt that she’s ignorant about its origins?’ argued a fan called Aaron Nair. ‘Because she’s a Kardashian? Prejudice. And lowering Hinduism to a “religion” is short-sighted in the first place. [Om] is so much more than a “sacred” symbol.’
‘Religion is about tolerance’: Some Indian fans also appreciated the jewelry and defended her
‘If the Om can be worn around the neck why can’t it be worn as an earring? People taking a swing at Kim here are just doing some sort of propaganda to get Hindus to be branded as intolerant, which hindus are absolutely not,’ wrote one Pinaki Dutta.
A Twitter user who identified himself as Sunny replied to Kim’s tweet: ‘Hi Kim ..cool style …I am a Hindu, actually a Rajput and a proud Indian….n I love ur style … Religion is about tolerance ….if we can wear a Cross or Om in pendant …thn we can took ur earrings in the right spirit too …’
One Twitter user joked: ‘Ayo where are the BJP mfs?? Come take a look at this,’ referring to India’s governing Hindu nationalist party.
There she is: Kim has found herself in hot water over allegations of Indian ‘cultural appropriation’ before – one case was when she covered Vogue India in 2018
Kim has found herself in hot water over allegations of Indian ‘cultural appropriation’ before – one case was when she covered Vogue India in 2018.
The fact that she wore an Indian lehenga inside the magazine also aroused some controversy even though the garment was from the Indian designer Anita Dongre and the look was put together by the Indian stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania.
Much was made of the fact that – in a remark she has since apologized for – she called Indian food ‘disgusting’ on Keeping Up With The Kardashians in 2012.
Stunning creation: The fact that she wore an Indian lehenga inside the magazine also aroused some controversy even though the garment was from the Indian designer Anita Dongre
Last year she posed on social media wearing a crop top and skirt with an ornately designed Indian maang tikka, resulting in another furor.
She was slammed on Twitter by some commentators, including one who wrote in Hindi that ‘even her brain is made of plastic.’
However Vogue India praised the look and said: ‘Worn with a maang tikka, Kim Kardashian West’s crop top + skirt makes a great alternative to lehengas.’
Kim had previously worn a maang tikka to a Sunday Service hosted in 2019 by her now estranged husband Kanye West, attracting similar controversy.
Slammed: Last year she posed on social media wearing a crop top and skirt with an ornately designed Indian maang tikka resulting in another furor