Kim Kardashian defends wearing her hair in braids after cultural appropriation backlash: ‘I’m not tone deaf’

Kim Kardashian has defended her choice to wear her hair in braids, saying she’s “not tone deaf.”

The reality star came under fire after she chose to sport Fulani braids at the MTV Movie and TV awards on Saturday, with many calling it cultural appropriation.

She faced mass backlash on social media with some hailing her the “face of cultural appropriation in America.”

In an interview with Bustle, the 37-year-old explained the reason she went ahead with the look.

She said: “I actually did that look because North said she wanted braids and asked if I would do them with her.

"So we braided her hair and then we braided my hair.”

In January, the TV personality posted an image on Instagram showing her with her blonde locks in braids.

She captioned the snap “Bo West”, in reference to actress Bo Derek who wore similar looking braids in the 1979 film 10.

Kardashian highlighted that’s he was aware that Fulani braids can be traced back to the Fulani group in West Africa.

She said: “I remember the backlash when I had the blonde hair and that I called them 'Bo Derek braids'.

"But I obviously know they're called Fulani braids and I know the origin of where they came from and I'm totally respectful of that.

"I'm not tone deaf to where I don't get it. I do get it."