Kareena Kapoor Carrying A Bag With Initials KKK On It Is Problematic And Borderline Ignorant. Celebrities Need To Be More Careful
Celebrities having a fashion faux pas isn’t new. Then again, celebrities making insensitive or offensive political statement through their sartorial picks is also not new. Fashion can be a great tool to make a powerful statement and voicing your POV but it’s all fun and games until it goes all wrong and backfires on you. However, what if you create a fashion controversy you probably didn’t even mean to? Something like this happened to Kareena Kapoor Khan recently.
It was a normal day. She stepped out with her husband Saif and son Taimur, getting papped in an all-white salwar suit set and even had a matching face mask on (that’s good, saved her another controversy). However, things took a dramatic turn as soon as she showed off her personalised beige handbag which had her initials KKK imprinted on it. Now, if you’ve grown up watching Bebo on screen, you’d know her mantra is ‘mai apni favourite hoon’ and so a personalised bag that screams self-love isn’t a shocker. However, what is, is the fact that she unintentionally endorsed her support to the American white supremacist group via her innocent fashion pick. You see, Ku Klux Klan is a hate group that primarily targets African Americans and coincidently also goes by the acronym KKK.
It seems to us, that this is a case of an unintentional, borderline ignorant, move on the part of Kareena and her fashion stylist. However, the backlash isn’t all pointless. Some people may also come to shield her saying it’s not her fault that her initials are same as the white supremacist group and we agree. But here’s the thing. Kareena being a public figure should’ve been mindful of what she carries and wears in public because with the kind of platform she’s blessed with, she is watched, idealised and imitated for her fashion statements, however unintentional they may be.
Also Read: Kangana Ranaut’s Saree Love Is More Than Just A Fashion Choice. It’s Her Way Of Making A Power Statement
The merciless killings of three African Americans by white policemen fuelled a global movement called Black Lives Matter in a bid to end the racism and violence against the black community. People worldwide took to streets to vouch their support to the movement and celebrities weren’t behind. Bollywood celebrities, including Kareena Kapoor showed their support on social media. Although her post didn’t make much sense and was ironically incorrect since she posted a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. who was killed for fighting for equal rights for black Americans. Also, she used the hashtag #AllLivesMatter which completely refutes the sole purpose of the movement—racism against ‘black people’.
It was a Twitter user who shed the light on Kareena problematic OOTD and even drew attention to how she was wearing everything white, which we think is reading too much into it but anyway. She wrote, “Can Kareena’s stylist please tell her dressing in all white and carrying a bag which has KKK embossed on it is not the best idea?” A lot of users defended her saying there’s nothing wrong with it and everything shouldn’t be related to what’s happening in USA. But maybe they forgot that it was a global movement and not just an American problem. There were others who raised eyebrows and shook their heads for the sheer ignorance.
Can Kareena’s stylist please tell her dressing in all white and carrying a bag which has KKK embossed on it is not the best idea? pic.twitter.com/5U6oWSa95Y
— Shreemi Verma (@shreemiverma) October 25, 2020
Think of it this way. For a black activist who isn’t aware of the Bollywood stars, regardless of how famous they are or belong to a royal family, it would seem that Indian actors are supporting the supremacist group. That doesn’t put us in a good light. It’s her lack of awareness that’s really problematic here. She, and other celebrities, with a public platform who love to get papped for their ‘looks’ really need to give a stern thought to their outfits and accessories before they step out. Racism against black Americans is a very sensitive social issue and Kareena being painfully ignorant about it is kind of tone deaf.
