Rihanna sparks backlash for allowing white models to wear braids at her Savage X Fenty fashion show

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By VT

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Rihanna has come under fire for allowing white models to wear braids at her Savage X Fenty fashion show.

Vol. 3 of Rihanna's Savage X Fenty fashion show has been slammed on social media for "cultural appropriation" after it was released on Amazon on Friday (September 24), Insider reports.

A TikTok user called Dee slammed white model Emily Ratajkowski for walking down the catwalk to 'Lemon' by N.E.R.D featuring Rihanna with her hair in braids more traditionally worn by Black women.

Watch the TikTok below: 

The TikTok has not gone unnoticed on the social media website, and at the time of writing, it has been liked over 300K times and received thousands of comments.

Reacting to the footage, one TikTok user wrote: "A few questionable choices were made but okay ms fenty [sic]."

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Credit: TikTok

A second wrote: "Rihanna loves to put the nonblack girls in braids skkkskd [sic]."

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Credit: TikTok

A third wrote: "i know people won't agree but Rihanna is performative for a profit. She's not genuinely progressive in my opinion [sic]."

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Credit: TikTok

A fourth added: "I know I'm [white] so it's not rlly my place but did she really put those white women in braid and think it was okay???"

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Credit: TikTok

A fifth added: "I mean.... they look good but..... Why would Riri say that's okkkk. I would've still said no give me the sally doodle bop hair pls [sic]."

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Credit: TikTok

However, not everyone on TikTok was offended by the choice of hairstyle, although these people were in the minority.

One wrote: "Y'all are so sensitive ITS JUST BRAID !! They look good [sic]."

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Credit: TikTok

Others took to Twitter to express their displeasure at the choice of hairstyle.

Comedy writer Raina Morris tweeted: "I wish I could write something as funny as Rihanna putting all these white girls in braids for the fenty show [sic]."

However, this is not the first time that a Savage X Fenty has been accused of cultural appropriation.

In October 2020, the show was slammed for playing a song that could offend Muslim people, prompting Rihanna to post a now-deleted apology on Instagram.

Featured image credit: Alamy / Abaca Press