Inside Amandla Stenberg's Feud With Kylie Jenner
Justin Bieber recently came to the reality TV star's defense.
— -- Sometimes a hairstyle is more than just a hairstyle.
Just ask Kylie Jenner, who has been taking heat since sharing a photo of herself with cornrows.
By Monday night, her pal Justin Bieber was defending her on Instagram, saying she is not a “racist” for wearing her hair in a style more common to black women.
It all started over the weekend when the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star posted a photo of her new 'do, writing, “I woke up like disss.”
Among those reacting to her new look was “Hunger Games” actress Amandla Stenberg, 16, who commented, “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.”
Jenner, 17, brushed off the comment with, “Mad if I don’t, Mad if I do…. Go hang w Jaden or something.”
She was presumably referring to Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada, who took Stenberg to the prom earlier this year. Jenner and Smith have been linked romantically over the years, though they claim to be best friends only.
Stenberg’s exchange with Jenner was captured on a screenshot by the Shade Room.
Jenner’s hairdo then became a subject for debate, with Bieber weighing in on the controversy.
“Guys leave her alone, we're all trying to figure it out and she happens to be under a microscope!" Bieber wrote, according to a screenshot of his comment. "I'm the first to know this. But saying she's being racist because she wants her hair in braids is ridiculous. Let's focus on the bigger picture and instead of fighting over something stupid let's do something about equality, but it doesn't start here blasting a 17 year old kid for wearing braids smh.”
But Stenberg wasn’t willing to let it go. She followed up her original comment with a lengthy tweet on racial and gender double standards.
words by me pic.twitter.com/g0HapkvfAt
— Amandla Stenberg (@amandlastenberg) July 13, 2015,End the "angry black girl" narrative. It's just another attempt to undermine certain perspectives. I have strong opinions. I am not angry.
— Amandla Stenberg (@amandlastenberg) July 13, 2015
For her part, Jenner was ready to move on. Posting a photo showing the back of her head, she wrote, “Post shaved head ... thinking about just shaving it off again”
words by me pic.twitter.com/g0HapkvfAt
She also defended her right to an opinion, adding on Twitter, "End the 'angry black girl' narrative. It's just another attempt to undermine certain perspectives. I have strong opinions. I am not angry.”
End the "angry black girl" narrative. It's just another attempt to undermine certain perspectives. I have strong opinions. I am not angry.
For her part, Jenner was ready to move on. Posting a photo showing the back of her head, she wrote, “Post shaved head ... thinking about just shaving it off again”