'SO GROSS'
Kourtney Kardashian & Travis Barker accused of ‘blatant’ cultural appropriation with Indian treatment
KOURTNEY Kardashian and Travis Barker have been accused of cultural appropriation after taking part in an Indian practice.
The reality star, 43, and drummer, 46, had a Panchakarma cleanse, which is an Ayurvedic treatment, in the latest episode of The Kardashians.
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Kourtney and Travis met with Ayurvedic expert Martha Soffer to take part in the cleanse in a bid to aid Kourtney's fertility.
“Our last egg retrieval was not successful, so our new thing that we’re going to be trying is a Panchakarma cleanse, which is Ayurvedic," she said in a confessional.
"It’s like 3,000 years old, which will get all of the toxins that are like deep within our tissue out of our bodies."
Panchakarma is an ancient method rooted in the Indian practice of detoxifying and cleansing the body of unwanted waste.
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Panchakarma, which translates to "five actions," tends to include a pre-cleanse, an actual cleanse and a post-cleanse.
Kourtney and Travis started the process with a five-day pre-cleanse of avoiding sex, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol.
The Poosh founder shocked fans when she claimed she was drinking Travis' ejaculate during that time.
They then spent seven days going to the spa for four-hour treatments such as the Abhyanga, "the four-hand massage" and Shirobasti, an oil treatment for the head.
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Kourtney also had a vaginal steam and ginger foot bath.
While the couple was pleased with their detox, viewers at home slammed their participation in the cleanse and claimed they had "white-washed" the practice.
"It’s profiting off Indian culture (which many many Americans have spent years ridiculing) without allowing the communities where Ayurveda originated to benefit from it!" one wrote.
VIEWER BACKLASH
"The people who appear on the show likely not only get paid, but also get ancillary benefits due to the popularity. If you’re gonna use our medicine for coolness quotient on your reality show, at least let us (S.Asians) benefit from it. But instead they make it a 'kooky' thing which is only cool once it’s whitewashed. And that gives cultural appropriation rather than appreciation."
Another added: "It’s always shown incorrectly and as some hippie bullshit which is made fun of. Forget that these are ancient practises that have merit to them."
A third posted: "The whole “cleanse” made me realize how truly out of touch they are. It's gross and blatant cultural appropriation."
Yet another user posted: "Ayurveda is nothing near to the bulls**t these people are endorsing. It feels bad because our culture is already looked at in a funny way, and spreading lies about something that us Indians are proud of, just rubs me the wrong way.
"Nowhere in Ayurveda, are people told to abstain from sex, or drink c*m like four times a week."
SHOCKING CLAIM
Viewers were horrified to hear Kourtney's fertility doctor seemingly advised her to drink Travis' c*m four times a week.
Kourtney told Travis in the episode: “I can’t remember if they told us that my thyroid level was low or high, but he said that the thing that would help it would be drinking Travis’ c*m four times a week.”
Travis laughed and said: “I love this doctor!”
The couple has faced repeated backlash for their excessive PDA in front of other people.
They were slammed for grinding in front of a realtor during a house tour, and for making "gross and inappropriate" comments in front of Kourtney's three children and a nurse.
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The lovebirds were photographed canoodling on a yacht during their Italy wedding last weekend.
Travis bit off Kourtney's garter with his teeth during the pasta-piled reception which appeared to be an overall PDA-fest.
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