Everglow's Yiren draws flak for "supporting" China's exploitation of cotton harvesting in Xinjiang on her Weibo account.
China, being one of the top producers of cotton, has recently sparked global concern when Xinjiang, where cotton is grown and harvested, is plagued with speculations of human rights violations against the Uygur minority through forced labor and exploitation.
Since then, fashion brands such as H&M, Burberry, Nike, and Adidas have stopped sourcing their cotton from Xinjiang and started boycotting China.
Read more to find out.
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Everglow's Yiren Shows Her "Support" for China's Exploitation of Cotton Harvesting in Xinjiang
On Mar. 25, Everglow member Wang Yiren shared a photo on her personal Weibo account showing support for the cotton produced in the Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang. In her Weibo post accompanied by a photo of cotton and a play on H&M's logo, she adds the hashtag saying, "# I Support Xinjiang Cotton."
As a result of her post and public support, netizens are voicing their criticisms on the Chinese idol's stance by sharing a screenshot of her Weibo post and spreading it to various online communities and social media platforms. In a conversation with a fan at an event in 2020, Yiren said, "I am very proud that I am Chinese. I want to speak in Chinese everywhere, but I am working in Korea, so there are restrictions."
Chinese K-Pop Idols Pull Out from Brands Boycotting Xinjiang
Yiren is not the first idol to show support to Xinjiang's cotton. After brands such as H&M, Burberry, Adidas, and Nike pulled out their deals with Xinjiang, many Chinese K-Pop idols withdrew their partnerships with the brands.
GOT7's Jackson has been a partner of Adidas since 2018, but after the news of Adidas boycotting Xinjiang cotton, Jackson soon ended his partnership with the brand. In a statement made by his label, Team Wang on Weibo, the national interest is more important and that they do not condone deplorable acts that defame China.
f(x)'s Victoria is another Chinese K-Pop idol who has pulled out from a brand following the Xinjiang allegations. On Mar. 24, the idol-actress ended her partnership with H&M, where she was also a brand ambassador.
On Mar. 25, EXO's Lay Zhang cut ties with both Converse and Calvin Klein. In addition, his former EXO bandmate, Huang Zitao, ended his partnership with Lacoste after the brand refused to publicly declare that they would not be boycotting Xinjiang cotton.
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Chinese netizens have praised the patriotism of the Chinese idols. However, international fans have mixed opinions. While some did not like the sudden decisions of the idols ending their brand partnerships, others saw this as a way for the idols to stay within the Chinese market.
What are your thoughts on their stance with Xinjiang cotton?
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Written by Robyn
