Cardi B may have dropped jaws when the stunning set of photos that accompanied her ‘Footwear News’ spread surfaced online Tuesday (November 10), but for some that surprise was anger not appreciation.
As the story (which celebrates the arrival of her November 13-due Reebok shoe line) made its rounds on the net, many took to the mag’s social media handles to slam it for insensitivity to the Hindu religion. The hoopla grew so large, ‘FN’ not only issued an apology but also replaced the cover.
Taking to PEOPLE, reps for the publication stated:
“Yesterday we posted content from our exclusive Cardi B cover shoot. One of the images was intended to pay homage to Hindu goddess Durga, and our intent was to show a powerful woman. However, we realize we were not considerate of certain cultural and religious perspectives and how this could be perceived as deeply offensive. Today, we’re releasing another cover from the shoot that was a subscriber exclusive.”
Later, the GRAMMY winner echoed their sentiment. Look inside for her official statement:
The tweets above are just a few of hundreds peddled the way of B after her ‘Footwear News’ gained traction online. Once the backlash reached her desk, she responded with:
“When I did the Reebok shoot, the creatives told me I was going to represent a Goddess; that she represents strength, femininity and liberation, and that’s something I love and I’m all about,” said Cardi. “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.”
Continuing, she stated:
“I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful; maybe I should have done my research,” Cardi concluded. “I’m sorry, I can’t change the past, but I will do more research for the future.”
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The new cover can be seen below: