Cardi B recently apologised in an Instagram story for posing as Goddess Durga on the cover of a footwear magazine for its November 2020 issue. The cover features Cardi B with 10 hands, but instead of weapons, she is seen holding a shoe. In the video, the rapper said, “When I did the shoot, the creatives told me I was going to represent a Goddess; that she represents strength, femininity and liberation, and that’s something I love and I’m all about. And though it was dope, if people think I’m offending their culture or their religion I want to say that was not my intent. I do not like offending anyone’s religion; I wouldn’t like it if someone did it to my religion.”
She added, “When people dress as Virgin Mary and Jesus, as long as they do it in a beautiful, graceful way…. But I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful; maybe I should have done my research. I’m sorry, I can’t change the past but I will do more research for the future.” After the image went viral, netizens, slammed the international rapper for hurting sentiments. With the magazine cover, the WAP star has made her first major foray into the shoe industry and debuted her Club C Cardi sneaker collection with Reebok. One Twitter user wrote, “Cardi B did not pay ‘homage’ to the Hindu goddess Durga by holding a shoe in her hand, this is plain disrespect and in no way cultural appreciation. She can’t get away with this without addressing and apologizing for mocking our culture.”