'Saying she is being racist is ridiculous': Justin Bieber defends Kylie Jenner's cornrow hairstyle photo which sparked Amandla Stenberg race rant
She loves to change up her hairstyle but her most recent look got her into a bit of hot water.
And after Kylie Jenner posted a picture of herself wearing cornrows which sparked a race rant by actress Amanla Stenberg, singer Justin Bieber has rushed to her defence.
The star took to Instagram in the wake of criticism the 17-year-old suffered for showing off her braids and said: 'Guys leave her alone, were all trying to figure it out and she happens to be under a microscope!'
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Support: Justin Bieber has defended Kylie Jenner's cornrow hairstyle, and asked people to 'leave her alone'
Online feud: The 17-year-old was slammed by Amandla Stenberg, and other critics on social media, who accused her of 'appropriating black culture', after she shared this photo on Instagram on Saturday
The singer, 21, added: 'I'm the first to know this. But saying she's being racist because she has her hair in braids is ridiculous.
'Lets focus on the bigger picture and instead of fighting over something stupid lets do something about equality, but it doesn't start here blasting a 17 year-old kid for wearing braids.'
Kylie posted the photo of herself on social media, showcasing her new look and captioned the photo: 'I woke up like disss.'
Trying to figure it out: Justin spoke out saying she was living her life under the microscope
Friends: The pair, pictured together here on social media, have known each other for some time
However her picture caused a divide of opinion, with some saying she was attempting to 'appropriate black culture' by choosing the hairstyle.
Among those to be negative about her hair was The Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg.
She slammed Kylie saying she was 'appropriating black culture' without using her celebrity 'to help black Americans'.
Speaking out: Hunger Games actress, Amandla Stenberg, seen here last month, called Kylie out for wearing cornrows but 'failing to use her position of power to help black Americans'
The 16-year-old commented on Kylie's photo: 'When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attention towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter.'
Kylie, who is believed to be dating rapper Tyga, replied: 'Mad if I don't, Mad if I do…. Go hang w Jaden or something.'
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was referring to the fact that Amandla, who rose to fame playing Rue in The Hunger Games, went to prom with Jaden Smith in May.
Kylie was widely rumoured to have dated the After Earth star, also 17, but they never confirmed their relationship.
The teen had shared a selfie showing off her cornrows on Saturday morning, which saw her clad in a grey crop top and matching tracksuit bottoms. She captioned the photo: 'I woke up like disss.'
Later that day, Kylie had taken out the braids and was seen with her dark hair pulled into a bun as she stepped out in Beverly Hills.
Changing it up: The 17-year-old had removed her cornrows when she was spotted later that day
'Go hang w Jaden or something': The reality star had a terse response to Amandla, who went to prom with her rumoured ex-boyfriend in May
Amandla made headlines earlier this year when she released an intelligent and thought-provoking video discussing the issues of cultural appropriation, posing the question: 'What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?'
In the clip, titled Don't Cash Crop My Cornrows, the teen says: 'Appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalizations or stereotypes where it originated but is deemed as high-fashion, cool or funny when the privileged take it for themselves.
'Hip hop stems from a black struggle, it stems from jazz and blues, styles of music African-Americans created to retain humanity in the face of adversity. On a smaller scale but in a similar vein, braids and cornrows are not merely stylistic. They’re necessary to keep black hair neat.'
Making waves: Amandla made her case in a stirring video released this past year
There are others: Kim Kardashian was seen with her hair braided in cornrows when she stepped out following a gym run in Los Angeles in 2010
Another example: Amandla also shared an image of Kendall Jenner in her video, who had her hair braided in cornrows
More recently: Miley Cyrus has been recently photographed with cornrows as well - here the actress is pictured in Studio City on Sunday
Previously: Katy Perry had her hair braided in cornrows for a scene in the 2014 music video, This Is How We Do
Citing stars such as Iggy Azalea, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, she adds: 'Pop stars and icons adopted black culture as a way of being edgy and gaining attention.'
After starring in the first Hunger Games movie as Katniss's ally, Amandla appeared in the TV show Sleepy Hollow and voiced a character in Rio 2.
Her upcoming series Mr. Robinson, which premieres in August, sees Craig Robinson star as a musician who becomes a music teacher at a middle school in a big city.
Thought-provoking: Amandla made headlines earlier this year when she released an intelligent video discussing the issues of cultural appropriation
Former flame?: Kylie and Jaden, seen here together in November 2013, never confirmed their relationship
Three years ago: The 16-year-old found fame portraying Rue in 2012's The Hunger Games
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