The 28-year-old rapper recently appeared on the cover of Footwear News as a promotion for her upcoming collaboration with Reebok.
In the cover photo, Cardi is holding a shoe as numerous arms stretched around her.
Indian Express reports that the company is "paying homage" to the Hindu goddess Durga, comparable to the rapper because she "is a dominant female voice at a critical time".
The resemblance, however, provoked strong reactions, and Cardi B was accused of "cultural appropriation" online.
Cardi B did not "pay homage" to the Hindu goddess Durga holding a shoe in her hand. This is a clear disrespect and in no way a cultural appreciation, "one critic said on Twitter." She can not pass this up without apologizing for mocking our culture.
Someone else wrote:
"Apparently this is Cardi B paying homage to the Hindu goddess Durga. What idiocy! "This is direct racism."
In an effort to rectify the situation, Cardi apologized via Instagram:
"When I was filming on Reebok, the creative team was telling me, 'You're going to represent a goddess who represents strength, femininity and freedom,'" the rapper said.
"I liked the idea and I was ready, but if I was offending people's culture or religion, I want to tell you that I am very sorry. That was not my goal. "
Furthermore, Cardi B said she did not want people to disrespect her religion, so she did not intend to do this to anyone else through a photo shoot.
"I was not trying to be disrespectful, maybe I should have done my research and I'm sorry," concluded Cardi. "I will do more research in the future."
Source: Fox News
