Kim Kardashian defends herself against past blackfishing accusations, saying she mostly wears braids when North wants to match hairstyles

• Kim Kardashian West addressed blackfishing criticism, saying she wouldn't "appropriate any culture."
• Kardashian West has received criticism in the past for wearing her hair in Fulani braids.

Kim Kardashian West addressed past blackfishing criticism in a conversation with playwright Jeremy O. Harris for i-D, saying that she "would never do anything to appropriate any culture" and had worn her hair in braids at the request of her daughter.

Blackfishing is when "white public figures, influencers, and the like do everything in their power to appear Black," journalist Wanna Thompson, who coined the term, told CNN in June.

In their conversation for i-D, Harris explicitly asked Kardashian West how she had navigated "criticism around things like blackfishing" in the past as the mother of Black children.

In the past, people have criticized Kardashian West for wearing her hair in Fulani braids, a style that originated in West Africa, accusing her of cultural appropriation, Insider previously reported. She's also been accused of blackface multiple times in photoshoots for magazines and her makeup brand.

Kardashian West told Harris that she was aware of the backlash she's gotten for wearing her hair in braids, and said that "a lot of the time" it's the result of her daughter asking her to wear a matching hairstyle.

"I've had these conversations with her that are like, 'Hey maybe this hairstyle would be better on you and not on me,'" Kardashian West said. "But I also want her to feel that I can do a hairstyle with her and not make it that big of a deal either if that's something that she's really asking for, and really wants."

Kardashian West said that she's "learned and grown over the years," including how to communicate with her children about race.

This isn't the first time that she's specifically addressed wearing her hair in Fulani braids. In 2018, the reality star also told Bustle that she had worn the braids to match with her daughter, North, saying at the time that she didn't want to "disrespect anyone's culture" by adopting the hairstyle.