More and more entertainers are reckoning with instances of cultural appropriation as the ripple effect from the Black Lives Matter protests continue to happen. The latest celebrity to apologize for past transgression is Little Women star Florence Pugh.
Page Six reports that the 24-year-old actress posted the apology on her Instagram account. Consisting of three pages, the apology detailed instances where the actress appropriated Rastafarian culture as well as Indian culture.
According to Pugh, when she was 17 years old, she had her hair braided and put on a beanie that she painted with the colors of the Jamaican flag and then went to a friend’s house. She even posted the picture online and captioned it with paraphrased lyrics from the song Mr. Boombastic by Shaggy.
She also told the story of being introduced to henna by an Indian woman she met in Oxford and how she quickly had her hands and feet placed with henna. When henna tattoos became a trend, Pugh revealed that she was sad for the Indian woman as she could now see that the culture was being abused for profit.
USA Today reports that Pugh took the opportunity to apologize for her past actions, saying that she is going through a tidal wave of information as the world undergoes tremendous social and political change. Pugh made no excuses for herself, calling herself uncultured and uneducated. She also apologized once again for how long it took her to learn.
Pugh at least took the initiative to apologize for previous misdeeds, which cannot be said for other celebrities. For instance, YouTuber Shane Dawson was recently called out by Jada Pinkett Smith and Jaden Smith for sexualizing a then 11-year-old Willow Smith as well as for doing blackface and using the n-word in his YouTube videos.
Dawson has had to put out a 20-minute long apology video to explain his side, explaining that the videos were a result of suffering personal issues and childhood trauma. The YouTuber also expressed regret at normalizing blackface and the use of the n-word.
Other Black celebrities have also come out to talk about their negative experiences with the film and entertainment industry. Sugababes member Keisha Buchanan recently called out systemic racism in the media, criticizing how she and bandmate Mutya Buena were portrayed beside bandmate Siobhan Donaghy.
Meanwhile, Misha B, a former X Factor contestant, alleged that the show pushed an “angry Black girl” narrative on her during her time on the show.
Even superstar Beyoncé revealed the racism and sexism she faced in the speech she delivered on YouTube’s Dear Class of 2020.