Here are some photos of Kim Kardashian and Jonathan Cheban over the weekend at the Casamigos Halloween party. The theme was “1970s” and many celebrities killed it (in a good way). I actually love Kim’s Cher costume here – Kim and Cher both have Armenian heritage, and Kim’s had so much plastic surgery that she really does look like Cher-in-the-1970s. Kim’s been doing the long, straight, black Cher hair off-and-on for years too, so this feels organic. And who knew that Cheban would look so much like Sonny Bono?
Unfortunately for everyone, Kim didn’t stop with the Cher costume. If I was Kim, I would have worn that Cher costume for an entire week, but Kim decided to do something else. She actually cycled through three costumes in three days. One of her Halloween costumes? Madonna. Kourtney was Michael Jackson, and they dressed up like Madge and MJ at the Oscars:
Michael Jackson & Madonna pic.twitter.com/RTxA90XfBC
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 29, 2017
MJ & Madge –#ICONS pic.twitter.com/sbz5Fk9eI6
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 29, 2017
I don’t really have a problem with this either…? I mean, I’m sure it will offend someone, somewhere. But I think it’s sort of fine. The last Halloween costume though… NO. This was not a good idea. Kim dressed up as the late, great Aaliyah. NO. Plus, Kim was spilling out of this “costume” so it really just looked ten kinds of wrong. NSFW:
Baby Girl Aaliyah pic.twitter.com/5GUHkNJgNi
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 29, 2017
As you can imagine, no one was happy about Kim dressing up as a late African-American artist. Critics said Kim was doing another cultural appropriation of black women, for the millionth time. I’ll only say one thing in Kim’s defense: she didn’t do blackface, y’all. Give her that, at least, because so many celebrities and non-celebrities would have done blackface. Kim just wore Aaliyah’s costume from the “Try Again” video.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Kim’s Twitter.
Yea I saw the outrage and I’m the first to call her out on appropriating black culture. She didn’t here. No blackface just the costume.
I think people are mad because Kim jacks everything from black women so no one wants her dressing like our icon.
I agree. A ton of people of all ethnicities wear this Aaliyah costume every year, and it’s never an issue (unless they do blackface obviously). I totally get why people might not like Kim getting inspiration from a black icon given her history, but the way she’s done the costume isn’t at all problematic in and of itself.
Agreed. Nothing here is problematic or offensive. Aaliyah is a beloved icon and no one wants to see her associated with Kim Kardashian. Lol
How’s she doing black face when she’s a couple shades darker than Aaliyah?
I’m black and I don’t get the kerfuffle, with people getting bent out of shape over others dressing as iconic people – be it Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, or Cher.
The whole hateful racist point of blackface, was ridicule and buffoonery. That’s what you call out. The idea that dressing up as someone black required black shoepolish, big pink drawn on lips, and an afro wig. That’s racism and its ugly.
If a white or Asian or Latina 12yr old wants to be Beyoncé on Halloween because she loves her, what’s the problem?
If you admire someone and want to be them, it’s not blackface- that’s just my opinion.
…she’s not hence my comment.
I agree, I don’t think this is inappropriate because she wasn’t doing black face etc. Taking things even further (maybe too far)… when it comes to costumes, I worry about children being discouraged from wanting to dress up as their heroes who may be of a different race. Like if a little white girl wanted to dress up like one of the women from Hidden Figures, I wouldn’t want to discourage them. I think that would be a wonderful thing for so many reasons.
The line for me, is really if the costume involves aspects that mimic or mock racial features. Coloring skin, textured wigs, facial prosthetics, etc. can be problematic. But that is my current opinion, and maybe there is something I am missing.
I agree. I think people want to be offended for the sake of being offended at anything Kardashian. The only thing offensive is that she is spilling out of that bra, and that she is dressed up as a still very popular singer who died tragically young and embodied much more grace than Kim ever will. That is why people are offended. But racism or cultural appropriation? No. I don’t see that here. I think anyone has the right to dress up as an entertainer of any race as long as they don’t cross the line the makeup and blackface.
I’m never one to be a Kim apologist, but yeah…her costumes are fine. She didn’t do black face, and really dressing as a beloved or fun figure is what’s great about Halloween, Some folks just look for ways to get their knickers in a twist …..but this really wasn’t that.
Give that 💩 a rest when it’s so manufactured, can’t we?
Thank you!! Cause I’m like where’s the appropriation?? She dressed as a deceased music and style icon who I happen to love.
She didn’t do blackface. She wore an outfit. It’s like why not be mad at kourtney for dressing as MJ, or any number of black people who have donned a blonde wig and dresser as Marilyn, or Einstein?? You don’t have to be black to dress as a black person. Stop all this fake outrage. There is so much real stuff to be outraged about, this ain’t it.
she actually killed the Cher costume….don’t know about the rest though
I don’t know, Cher was/is long and lean and KK is short and curvy. To me she still looked like KK.
Exactly what I came here to say. Cher never had “hips” (artificial) like that.
Cher from the neck up, Princess Jasmine from below
To be honest, she has been dressing like Cher for months now. The facial changes with the straight hair parted down the middle is almost exactly Cher.
to be honest, if someone’s just wearing the costume of someone from another race and isn’t trying to change their skin color to suit it I don’t see the problem.
Second. I’m surprised how good her Madonna was
Agree. It’s a Halloween costume, it’s not like she’s just running errands while dressed like Aaliyah
Exactly.
I read an article about a mother who persuaded her daughter not to dress as Moana for Halloween because it was cultural appropriation. Her daughter chose an Elsa costume instead. So many wrong messages in that story.
Completely agree
Hard to discern which is a costume and which is her usual dress-up get-up..
+1
You got it, boredblond – spot on!
No doubt. She has nothing else to do but I guess this is how she makes her money. Sad society. ;(
Right? Isn’t her life just changing clothes multiple times per day and strolling about looking for paps?
PS: Cheban is homely. Sonny Bono must be screaming from the beyond.
Kim is a culture vulture and it pains me to say this but as long as she didn’t do blackface it shouldn’t be controversial. I remember one year when every other person/couple was Barack and/or Michelle for Halloween. There was no blackface, just homage.
Why is she never with Kanye?
Oh brother. Because she doesn’t have to be. Ugh. Why is Kanye never with her? These are image selfish celebs, we’ll never figure out their lives from photos.
She doesn’t have to be but it would be nice if Kanye thought enough to accompany her to at least one of these events.
My guess would be that he goes his way, she goes hers.
Because it’s not a real marriage
Maybe he hates Halloween, maybe his costume arrived in the wrong size, maybe he is taking the kids to a party, maybe he has the flu. The list of possibilities is endless.
She looks amazing as Cher!
Um. No. This is not cultural appropriation. Aaliyah is not a culture she’s an icon. No different than dressing as Cher. You are allowed to dress as an icon of a different race. You are never under any circumstance allowed to do black face, that is completely different. She was not dressing as a black woman, she was dressing as Aaliyah.
Agreed.
I actually think it is more problematic to say that no one (who is not themselves black) can ever honor or pay homage to a black person by wearing a similar costume (with the caveat that, of course, blackface is wrong). So long as she avoided wearing blackface, I don’t think this is a problem, especially because it’s clear she was honoring Aaliyah as a musical icon, along with Cher and Madonna.
Yes. Thank you. Agreed.
Yes. Thank you. Agreed.
Yes. Thank you. Agreed.
+1
Not cultural appropriation. We shouldn’t overuse the term or it loses its power.
Ok Kourtney was amazing in the MJ costume, so good.
She was! Also, why isn’t anyone crying cultural appropriation over this?!
Because people don’t hate her as much as they do Kim?
I actually loved the costumes, Cher and Sonny being my favorites. As for the Aaliyah one…all she did was wear the same outfit, makeup and hairstyle. Other people have done it better than her IMO, but she hasn’t really done anything wrong this time.
I love the Sonny and Cher look here too, Lucy.
Have you, or anyone other CBers here, seen the fabulous Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty doing “I Got You Babe” on the Golden Girls? There are clips on YouTube.
anyone else see Kim cover up her lipo scar lol
She’s OCD to the point she can’t show any imperfections, it’ll be interesting to see what she looks like when she’s 40, she’ll be like Ursula trying to suck to youth from Kylie except there won’t be any left since Kylie looks 30 already lol
Yeah Hell NO on that Aaliyah costume. Keep baby girl out of this.
Sheesh. When did Halloween become an adult obsession? The Cher costume was fabulous, but shouldn’t she be focusing on her kids’ costumes? Maybe I’m just crabby because I have an unknown number of teens coming to my house tonight and wish it were tomorrow.
Kim say this over and over…”I will never be Cher. I will never be Cher”.
“Are You That Somebody” is my favorite Aaliyah song. Hands down. Kim is tiring. Why does she ruin EVERYTHING
Her face looks tragic. Shame she did that to herself.