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Katy Perry Apologizes for Past Cultural Appropriation

Katy Perry Apologizes for Past Cultural Appropriation

Katy Perry has owned up to cultural appropriation in the past and she has apologized to anyone she offended.

The 32-year-old singer opened up in an interview with Black Lives Matter activist Deray McKesson during her Witness World Wide live stream in partnership with YouTube this weekend.

After Katy was criticized for wearing her hair in conrows in the “This Is How We Do” video. She had a conversation with her friend Cleo Wade and asked, “Why can’t I wear my hair that way?”

“And she told me about the power in black women’s hair, and how beautiful it is, and the struggle,” Katy said. “I listened. And I heard. And I didn’t know. And I won’t ever understand some of those things because of who I am – I will never understand, but I can educate myself, and that’s what I’m trying to do along the way.”

Katy also talked about dressing as a geisha for her performance of “Unconditionally” at the 2013 American Music Awards.

“Even in my intention to appreciate Japanese culture, I did it wrong with a performance, and I didn’t know that I did it wrong until I heard people saying I did it wrong,” she said. “Sometimes that’s what it takes, is it takes someone to say – out of compassion, out of love – ‘This is where the origin is, do you understand?’ And not just like, a clapback. Because it’s hard to hear those clapbacks sometimes. And your ego just wants to turn from them. I’ve been so grateful to have great teachers and great friends who will really hold me accountable, even when I said I wasn’t a feminist because I didn’t know what that word meant.”

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Photos: Getty
Posted to: Katy Perry