A Canadian-born influencer has been accused of cultural appropriation in a tone deaf post to brag about getting a brand new Rolex watch from her partner.
Cindy Kilian, 28, who goes by Regarding Cindy online and boasts 1.3 million followers on TikTok, took to Instagram this week to share a series of photos that showed her posing in a hotel room in Japan.
In the images, she wore a pink kimono with a colourful floral pattern while brandishing a hand fan.
She also showed off a gold Rolex watch on her wrist, which she revealed was gifted to her from her partner.
Cindy appeared to be channelling a Japanese Geisha, something she alluded to in the caption.
‘Kimono girl you better work for that Rolex,’ she wrote.
Canadian-born influencer Cindy Kilian has been accused of cultural appropriation in a tone deaf post to brag about getting a brand new Rolex watch from her partner
Some of her followers have called her out on Facebook group Tea Time for ‘dressing up in a cultural outfit’ in exchange for a watch.
‘Am I the only one who is shocked she posted this?’ one person questioned.
‘So another random girl trying to be different for the gram and using a culture as a random KINK? sounds about WHYT to me!’ another wrote.
‘This is NASSSTYYYY.’
‘You should not comment on racial issues if you are not part of said race,’ a third one commented.
‘I’m shocked she thinks this is appropriate to post publicly,’ one added.
Geisha are performing artists and entertainers trained in traditional Japanese performing arts styles, such as dance, music and singing, as well as being proficient conversationalists and hosts.
They entertain at parties known as ozashiki, often for the entertainment of wealthy clientele, as well as performing on stages and at festivals.
Cindy took to Instagram this week to share a series of photos that showed her posing in a hotel room in Japan
‘Kimono girl you better work for that Rolex,’ she captioned the images
Cindy was born in Canada where she attained a degree in Fashion Arts school before moving to Australia seven years ago, at age 22.
Speaking on the Ellefluential podcast in 2024, Cindy revealed that she was working in real estate Down Under before discovering her passion for content creation.
‘I worked in real estate for a little bit then all of a sudden I was scrolling through TikTok everyday and I was like: ‘I think I can do this”.’ she said.
‘I love being on camera.’
Cindy has since parlayed her social media success into her own brand Resort and Rich.
She also opened up on the importance of confidence and not being bothered by ‘trolls’ on the podcast.
‘You are you. You are so powerful being just yourself and that sis is your superpower,’ she continued.
Some of her followers have called her out on Facebook group Tea Time for ‘dressing up in a cultural outfit’ in exchange for a watch’
‘As soon as you try and let these other people’s thoughts and opinions about you control your mind and its like, why? They’re irrelevant.’
‘They’re someone who trolls you online or they just have their own opinions which is fine, but don’t let it change the person that you are meant to be.’
She continued: ‘You just have to be secure in yourself – everything you’ve done in your life, take all of that and insert it into yourself into being the best version of yourself.
‘That is the most powerful thing about you – showing your personality.’
