Kylie Jenner posted a picture of herself wearing cornrows which sparked a race rant from actress Amanla Stenberg, however, singer Justin Bieber has rushed to her defense. The star took to Instagram the wake of criticism the 17-year-old suffered for showing off her braids and said, 'Guys leave her alone, were all trying to figure it out and she happens to be under a microscope!' The singer, 21, added, 'I'm the first to know this. But saying she's being racist because she has her hair in braids is ridiculous.'
'Lets focus on the bigger picture and instead of fighting over something stupid lets do something about equality, but it doesn't start here blasting a 17 year-old kid for wearing braids.'
Kylie posted the photo of herself on social media, showcasing her new look and captioned the photo: 'I woke up like disss.' However her picture caused a divide of opinion, with some saying she was attempting to 'appropriate black culture' by choosing the hairstyle. Among those to be negative about her hair was The Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg. She slammed Kylie saying she was 'appropriating black culture' without using her celebrity status 'to help black Americans'
The 16-year-old commented on Kylie's photo, 'When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attention towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter.'
Kylie, who is believed to be dating rapper Tyga, replied: 'Mad if I don't, Mad if I do.... Go hang w Jaden or something.' The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was referring to the fact that Amandla, who rose to fame playing Rue in The Hunger Games, went to prom with Jaden Smith in May. Kylie was widely rumoured to have dated the After Earth star, also 17, but they never confirmed their relationship.
The teen had shared a selfie showing off her cornrows on Saturday morning, which saw her clad in a grey crop top and matching tracksuit bottoms. She captioned the photo: 'I woke up like disss.' Later that day, Kylie had taken out the braids and was seen with her dark hair pulled into a bun as she stepped out in Beverly Hills.
Amandla made headlines earlier this year when she released an intelligent and thought-provoking video discussing the issues of cultural appropriation, posing the question: 'What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?'
