Kim Kardashian Responds to Blackface Allegations: "Definitely I Have Learned From It"

As soon as news broke about Kim Kardashian launching her very own makeup line, the beauty world erupted into a flurry of excitement. Could it really be true?! The ultimate queen of contour would soon be introducing us to a glorious new product for perfecting that chiseled, defined look: the Crème Contour and Highlight Kit.

While details (and swatches!) emerged about KKW Beauty leading up to the June 21 release, the anticipation continued to build, but it looks like the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star hit a slight bump in the road along the way. After sharing promotional images to tease the line on social media — pictures in which Kim looks slightly more tan than usual — many fired back to accuse her of wearing blackface. The internet soon became divided on the hot topic; whereas a handful of Twitter users were furious at her darkened skin in the photo, others were quick to defend Kim, noting that she simply looked "tan, not black."

But Kim didn't just sit back and let those allegations soar. In a recent interview with The New York Times, she addressed the claims and put them to rest, once and for all, explaining how it was never her intention to hurt any of her fans. "I would obviously never want to offend anyone," said Kim, whose two children with Kanye West are biracial. "I used an amazing photographer and a team of people. I was really tan when we shot the images, and it might be that the contrast was off. But I showed the image to many people, to many in the business. No one brought that to our attention. No one mentioned it."

She went on to explain how she does understand why people would be potentially offended by the images, and that she has ultimately learned a lesson from experiencing the backlash. "Of course, I have the utmost respect for why people might feel the way they did," she said. "But we made the necessary changes to that photo and the rest of the photos. We saw the problem, and we adapted and changed right away. Definitely I have learned from it."