Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg has accused model Kylie Jenner of using black culture to make a fashion statement, and doing so said Jenner refused to “help black Americans.”
Jenner posted a photograph to her Instagram page Saturday, which showed her hair braided in cornrows, and Amandla was quick to comment on what she considers to be disrespectful.
“When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attention towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter,” Stenberg wrote.
Jenner responded promptly to the actress, saying: “Mad if I don’t. Mad if I do…. Go hang w Jaden or something.”
(Amandla took Jaden Smith to prom with her in May)
Stenberg, who rose to fame playing Rue in the 2012 Hunger Games, made headlines earlier this year after a video she made discussing culture appropriation went viral.
In the clip, titled “Don’t Cash Crop On My Cornrows,” Amandla posed the question: “What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?”
The teen went on to discuss her issues with celebrities who use cultural appropriation for personal gain, citing stars such as Katy Perry, Iggy Azalea, and Miley Cyrus.
“Appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalizations or stereotypes where it originated but is deemed as high-fashion, cool or funny when the privileged take it for themselves,” Stenberg said in the video.
“Hip hop stems from a black struggle, it stems from jazz and blues, styles of music African-Americans created to retain humanity in the face of adversity. On a smaller scale but in a similar vain, braids and cornrows are not merely stylistic. They’re necessary to keep black hair neat,” she also added.
Watch: Amandla Stenberg’s “Don’t Cash Crop On My Cornrows”
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