Blake Lively has finally addressed the “Oakland Booty” controversy, which erupted last month after she posted a photo of herself on Instagram with the caption “LA face with an Oakland booty” — referencing Sir Mix-A-Lot’s lyrics in “Baby Got Back.”
The post immediately set off a firestorm of criticisms. Lively was accused of culturally appropriating the concept of “black booty” (go figure), being racially insensitive, and disrespecting women of color everywhere.
As a reminder, Katy Perry tweeted the same lyric in July 2012 and Kim Kardashian’s sister Khloe quoted the tune on Instagram last August. But none of them incited such outrage.
LA face with an Oakland booty.
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 16, 2012
The Shallows star appeared on SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning on Wednesday and responded to the controversy publicly for the first time.
“It’s something I was proud of. I never meant to offend anyone,” said Lively, citing the support she received from Sir Mix-A-Lot through it all.
Back in May, the rapper had said he was surprised at the criticism, because he was in no way trying to speak for all black people, or pit races against each other. “I wrote this song not as a battle between the races. I wrote the song because I wanted Cosmopolitan, I wanted all these big magazines to kind of open up a little bit and say, ‘Wait a minute, this may not be the only beautiful.'”
He’d also noted that seeing Hollywood celebrities like Blake Lively, Katy Perry, and others celebrating their curves, was actually a sign of progress —a sign that our norms of beauty had evolved.
Lively said she never wanted “to hurt anyone’s feelings or upset anyone” with the picture. “I was celebrating my body.”
“It’s nice to have a nice curve and not look like you’re starving to death,” she added.
You can listen to the whole interview segment below:
