Larsa Pippen lives in a zone inhabited by Kim Kardashian and the whole Kardashian clan. They are women who are non-Black but live and play within the circles of prominent Black men. The Black cultural adjacency can be perceived as appropriation when they begin to rock styles that are not normal to their culture.
Case in point: Larsa Pippen has been wearing box braids.
Braids are a protective hairstyle, and its subset, box braids, usually consist of three-strand plaits where a particular section of the hair is divided into three parts and intertwined. Various histories of the style claim it originated in South Africa, and its implementation goes as far back as the B.C. era.
Black Adjacent?
That’s where it gets complicated for Pippen as a non-Black woman in a decision to sport the style like she just came from the cookout. In this instance, the 48-year-old star of “The Real Housewives of Miami” donned the braids during a cast trip to the Bahamas, causing a stir during the reunion show.
“The Real Housewives of Miami” reunion show host Andy Cohen read a question from a fan to Larsa that directly addressed the subject.
“Watching the tease for the season, I noticed you were sporting braids in the Bahamas,” Cohen said, reading the fan’s inquiry. “Fashion-wise, you can pull it off. But do you think it’s really culturally appropriate? I think you’re going to get a lot of backlash.”
Pippen needed to educate the world on her lineage and her long history of wearing the style.
“I mean, I’m not White,” she said. “So I don’t know — my mom used to wear braids.” She continued, “I have a braider who comes and braids my kids’ hair every ten days. My son’s had braids literally for the last four years. I’m going on a trip, I don’t want to have to deal with my hair, I’ll have her braid my hair.”
White Adjacent?
However, the real question is how non-White you are, and Larsa shed some light on her multi-layered heritage; her mother is from Lebanon, and her father is from Syria.
“My grandparents are Moroccan. My mom had braids when she was a kid. I’ve been braiding my hair every time I’ve gone on vacation since I can remember. My honeymoon pictures, my hair was braided. When I was 18 years old, my hair was braided. I’ve always worn braids when I travel.”
Pippen married Scottie Pippen, and the two have four children: Scotty Jr., Preston, Justin, and Sophia. The two divorced in 2021.
Since then, Larsa has been aligned with Marcus Jordan, the 32-year-old son of Michael Jordan, her ex-husband’s former iconic teammate. Scottie has been critical of Michael Jordan since the airing of The Last Dance docuseries, which chronicled the rise of the Chicago Bulls in the nineties, including unaired footage from their unforgettable 1997-98 season.
The critiques of Larsa have ranged from betrayal by dating the son of her ex-husband’s new foe and age-shaming her 16-year difference with Marcus. Amid it all, Larsa will rock her braids proudly; after all, she’s “not white.”
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