After Kim Kardashian’s Aaliyah Halloween costume drew some backlash from fans, the reality star apologized on Friday.
“Aaliyah was such an amazing singer and she will forever be a music legend,” Kim wrote on her website, according to E! Online. “I saw online that some people thought my costume was in poor taste and I am truly sorry if that offended anyone. When I was creating the costume, I wasn’t dressing up as a race or culture but rather as a woman whom I will always admire.”
She continued, “I play every kind of genre of music in my home and I like for my kids to be exposed to many different artists. For me, it’s always about love and respect. I loved that Kourtney was Michael Jackson for one of her costumes, and that my son was Axl Rose. We don’t see color in my home. We were paying homage to people and artists we love and respect– it’s that simple!”
Kardashian West’s re-creation of the diamond bikini outfit worn by the late singer in the video for her 2000 smash hit “Try Again,” was met with a mixture of brutal scorn and tepid support.
Fans of Aaliyah, who died at 22 in a place crash in 2001, accused Kardashian West of essentially wearing blackface, while fans of the reality star had her back.
On the flip side, a bunch of her other followers think people are just looking for a reason to hate on her. As one user so nicely put it, “Oh stop complaining — find a hobby.”
Other costumes worn by Kardashian this year included Cher and Selena Quintanilla, the latter of which also drew mixed reactions from fans.