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Obviously Everyone Is Mad AF That Kim Kardashian Was Styled As Lil' Kim In A Photo Shoot

See Kim² for yourself.

It's a daunting task to masquerade the world's most famous human (and half of the #WorldsMostTalkedAboutCouple), but for its upcoming issue, fashion industry maven Carine Roitfeld's glossy attempted to do just that—to mixed results. On stands September 7, CR Fashion Book's latest issue, called #CR1999, is a celebration of all things that occured in the year before the clock struck midnight and ushered in an anticlimactic Y2K. Whether you admire copious amounts of plaid, mismatched lip liner and lipstick, or are nostalgic for the last time presidential impeachment was a buzzy topic, this nineties-inspired concept magazine is a must-cop.

Two ladies who helped drive and define beauty and fashion ideals in the '90s were Lil Kim and Pamela Anderson. For #CR1999, Mrs. Kim Noel Kardashian West channeled these icons in a photoshoot that will leave tongues wagging.

To emulate the Queen Bee, KKW dropped it low to signify homage to Kim Jones's pose on a promotional poster for her debut album, Hard Core, a position we now affectionately refer to as the "thot squat." That's pretty much where the similarities between the Kims terminate, but we're still here for the concept. Lil' Kim shattered the notion that rap was expressly a boys club and charted a path many follow today, such as being the first female rapper to sign a major modeling contract with Wilhelmina. We're down for any spotlight shone on Black creatives who changed the game. The Kims also have an IRL connection: the two posed together for a flick at Ye's third Yeezy Presentation, and Kim-in-training, aka Kylie Kristen Jenner, once shouted out the OG on the gram.  

Above is Keeks doing her best Pam Anderson impression, but when you have a face as distinctive as KKW's, transforming oneself can present some challenges. To amp up the vintage vibes, faux Getty Images watermarks are placed over the images that say "CR Images," and note who Kim is *supposed* to look like. Fashion's current favorite photography darling, Petra Collins, linked and built with KKW once again for this shoot. They previously teamed up for Kim's Wonderland cover shoot, which we much prefer to this homage situation, but that's none of our business! 

On the bright side, no blackface accusations can come from this shoot! Kim really couldn't afford another ride on that merry-go-round. She did, however, continue her insistence to re-appropriate Black features on a white body, but this form of whitewashing is literally her brand, so no surprises here. 

Bottom line, this shoot did one thing right that people so often fail to understand: that a white person can pay homage to a Black icon, so long as there's no blackface involved. 

Are you here for this photo shoot?

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