BLACKPINK member Jennie is being accused of appropriating Chinese culture following photos of her in red clothing were shared on Instagram. Keep on reading to learn more.
Why Is BLACKPINK's Jennie Under Fire for Her Clothing?
On Monday, Feb. 1, Jennie shared a number of photos of her wearing a red, rose-shaped top with her hair braided into a circle. In some photos, she is seen wearing black knee-high boots and floral gloves that reach the middle of her arms. While the Instagram photos did not cause any controversy among most domestic and international fans, people from Mainland China appeared to have a problem with it.
in China's largest social media platform, Weibo, the highest-ranking real-time search on Feb. 1 was the phrase "Jennie wore Hong Haier (Red Boy)'s clothes)." According to most people on the platform, Jennie's outfit and hairstyle for her "SOLO" performance in BLACKPINK's first online live stream concert, "THE SHOW," resembles the clothing of Red Boy.
Red Boy is a character from the novel "Journey to the West." He is also known as the Boy Sage King and is the son of Princess Iron Fan and the Bull Demon King. The Red Boy is the protector of the Fiery Mountains. He has supernatural abilities concerning fire. He is one of the major villians of the story.
In the "Journey to the West" movie, Red Boy is seen with the same braided pigtails and similar red clothing as Jennie. Because of that, Chinese users on Weibo have slammed the K-pop idol for "stealing" Chinese culture. Many people have also stated that it is despicable that Jennie was stealing the outfits of a child that is now a popular figure in Chinese culture. Others, on the other hand, some people made fun of Jennie for her resemblance to Red Boy. As Red Boy is considered an iconic character in Chinese culture, some slammed Jennie for cultural appropriation.
As of press time, YG Entertainment nor Jennie herself has commented on the backlash.
BLACKPINK's Previous Controversy in China
BLACKPINK's reputation in China took a hit back in Nov. 2020. On Nov. 3, 2020, YG Entertainment shared a preview for an unreleased "25/365 BLACKPINK" episode. In the preview, the girls of BLACKPINK are seen visiting Everland to meet and play with baby pandas. The girls are seen taking care of the pandas while being supervised by the amusement park's zookeepers.
The girls were seen meeting with the pandas without masks or gloves, which is dangerous for baby pandas. Many also revealed that it is unsafe for baby pandas to be in contact with make-up and cosmetics, and the girls of BLACKPINK were seen lowering their faces often to see the pandas. The girls of BLACKPINK also live with dogs, which caused great controversy. Numerous baby pandas due because of a disease transferrable through dogs called the canine distemper virus.
As pandas are considered as China's treasure, BLACKPINK, YG Entertainment, and Everland were all slammed for not taking care of the baby pandas properly. Numerous news and media outlets shared articles concerning the matter to Weibo, calling out BLACKPINK for putting the pandas in harm's way. YG Entertainment apologized and chose never to release the full episode.
ALSO READ: Chinese Netizens Slam BLACKPINK For Interacting With Pandas
What do you think of the situation?
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Written by Alexa Lewis
