Kim Kardashian has come under fire from people in Japan who say her new underwear fashion line is disrespectful.
The reality star said the trademarked brand, called Kimono Solutionwear, is shapewear which “celebrates and enhances the shape and curves of women”.
But some Japanese people have criticised the reference to the kimono, a loose long-sleeved robe typically tied with a sash dating back to the 15th Century.
People upset at the apparent appropriation of the name have expressed their dissatisfaction online using the hashtag #KimOhNo.
One Japanese woman, Yuka Ohishi, told the BBC: “She just chose a word that has Kim in it - there’s no respect to what the garment actually means in our culture.
“We wear kimonos to celebrate health, growth of children, engagements, marriages, graduations, at funerals. It’s celebratory wear and passed on in families through the generations.”
One user said the underwear was “butchering Japanese culture”, adding: “My culture is not your plaything. You don’t have any respect for people who are not your family.”
Another said: “This brand has no respect of the original and traditional ‘Kimono’.
“Kimono is a Japanese garment which has important ceremonial meaning in the Japanese culture.
“It must not be any sexy underwear nor a cute pun brand name of an American celebrity.
Kardashian is married to the rapper Kanye West, who drew the Kimono logo, she said.
She trademarked the brand last year in the US. She has also filed trademarks for “Kimono Body”, “Kimono Intimates” and “Kimono World”.
It touts itself as a size and diversity inclusive brand, carrying sizes from XXS to 4XL.
But one kimono expert said it was ironic that it identifies itself with a garment that is the opposite of shape wear.
Prof Sheila Cliffe from the Jumonji Women’s University told the BBC: “The [aesthetic] of the kimono is graceful, elegant and gentle. It is not overtly revealing or figure-hugging. It wraps the wearer so they are not exposed,”
Kardashian has previously acknowledged she is a prime target for criticism, admitting that is “going to get backlash for almost everything”.
