Kanye West has sparked controversy after he served sushi on nude women at his birthday party.
On 10 June, the rapper had a private party to celebrate his 46th birthday, which included his and ex Kim Kardashian’s eldest daughter, North West, and his new partner Bianca Censori.
As shown in videos and photos of the event shared on Twitter, West opted to serve sushi to his guests in a non-traditional way: on a woman’s body. While surrounded by multiple trays of food, the woman, who was only wearing a bikini top and bottom, was laying at the centre of the table.
Along with a tray of sushi in between her legs, the food was resting above her chest, torso, and waist. She had her arms flat on the table and head up, while appearing to have a calm look on her face.
In response to the photos on Twitter, multiple people went on to claim that West’s decision to serve food on the nude woman was “misogynistic”.
“Treating a human woman like a plate is kinda misogynistic big dog,” one wrote, while another added: “Misogyny at its finest.”
A third claimed: “’I’m not sure what’s more disturbing, the fact that Kanye had a naked woman as a sushi platter or the fact that he thought it was an appropriate party idea. Either way, I think I’ll pass on any future invitations to his shindigs.”
However, other people expressed that West could have been taking part in a Japanese practice called Nyotaimori, which is when sashimi or sushi is served from the naked body of a woman.
“I did this in catering for NFL players,” one wrote. “The ‘models’ are not naked for sanitation reasons. They wear nude bikinis and the food is placed on banana leaves not their skin directly. Their body is like a table top. It’s artistic and beautiful when executed properly.”
“Lol people here are not even aware that this isn’t uncommon, there are restaurants all over the world doing this?” a second wrote.
One Twitter user also made a reference to the infamous Sex and the City scene, where Samantha, who’s played by Kim Cattrall, covered her body in sushi as part of a gift for her boyfriend, Smith.
Other videos from West’s party also show his daughter at the table, as she appeared to have a shocked look on her face. North then grabbed a piece of sushi from the tray and gave it to Censori.
At the party, North was also seen holding hands with Yeezy’s architectural designer, who West has been romantically linked to since January. The pair reportedly married in a non-legally binding ceremony earlier this year.
While Censori didn’t mention West by name, she did previously confirm her relationship status. More specifically, she said in a viral TikTok video last month that she is “married” when content creator @gratefulboynuee asked for her number on camera.
The rumoured couple have been spotted together on several occasions throughout this year. They were seen attending a church service with two of West’s children – Chicago, five, and Psalm, four with their outfits sparking confusion among fans.
Meanwhile, this birthday party isn’t the first time that West has sparked controversy. Last year, he sparked backlash after he shared a number of antisemitic comments and conspiracy theories on social media and in interviews. He also sparked backlash when he debuted his brand’s “White Lives Matter” shirts during Paris Fashion Week in October.
Multiple brands, including Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga, then announced that they’d no longer be working with West and condemned his remarks.
The Independent has contacted a representative for West for comment.
