BLACKPINK’s Jennie And HBO Under Fire For Cultural Appropriation In Latest “The Idol” Trailer
After the announcement that BLACKPINK‘s Jennie would be appearing in the HBO series “The Idol,” netizens shared their excitement at seeing the singer make her acting debut in such a huge series.
Several trailers have been released ahead of the show’s release, and BLINKs were excited to see Jennie feature in some of the scenes. Although the concept of the show is completely different from anything expected, it was nice for fans to see her in a new setting and showcase her diversity.
However, the idol has recently come under fire after many saw a scene that many have deemed as cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is defined as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.”
In the short clip from the trailer, Jennie is seen amongst other members of the cast as a backup dancer. Yet, it was the hairstyle that netizens noticed as unsavory. It appeared that Jennie was wearing cornrows.
The hairstyle has been a common look in K-Pop over the years, and it seems like a neverending battle for netizens to showcase the issues with idols using the style, which has a lot of history and significance behind it.
Throughout history, and even during the modern day, black people have experienced prejudice and racism based on not just skin color but also their hair texture and styles. For many, a non-black person appropriating such a culturally significant hairstyle is insensitive.
African-American women did everything they could to hold on to their ancestral tradition of wearing intricately braided styles. Nevertheless, when Emancipation took place in 1865, it brought along a desire to leave all things which recalled the horrific time of slavery behind.
During the Great Migration, Black women began to migrate and flock to cities like Chicago and New York. They usually took on jobs as domestics, one of the few positions open to them. But braids quickly became synonymous with backwardness. Plaits and cornrows were increasingly traded in for chemically straightened or pressed hair.
— Lydia Kiros via Amplify Africa
When netizens saw the look, they immediately shared how disappointed they were to see another non-black woman wearing this hairstyle in the K-Pop industry.
In the past, many idols have been called out for cultural appropriation when it comes to hairstyles. It was also seen within BLACKPINK after Lisa came under fire for her “MONEY” music video.
For many, they shared their anger that, even after all these issues being raised by netizens, it is still happening. Yet, rather than criticizing Jennie, many want the idol to be held accountable and understood why it is such an issue rather than ignoring it.
Yet, although Jennie has come under fire for the decision, many netizens believe that the blame should also be placed on the creators of the show.
While many have explained that the blame cannot be placed on just one person or party. If Jennie knew that the hairstyle was not appropriate, netizens believe she should’ve raised the point. Similarly, the cast and crew are known to have people who would’ve known about how inappropriate it was for Jennie to have the hairstyle and should’ve explained why.
While many have explained that the blame cannot be placed on just one person or party. If Jennie knew that the hairstyle was not appropriate, netizens believe she should’ve raised the point. Similarly, the cast and crew are known to have people who would’ve known about how inappropriate it was for Jennie to have the hairstyle and should’ve explained why.
Yet, it seems as if the issue of Jennie’s hairstyle isn’t the only scrutiny the series has come under.
Since the trailer was released, viewers worldwide have raised concerns about the nature of the show, including the over-sexualization of the female cast and more twisted aspects of the storyline.
sam levinson’s obsessjon with nudity and oversexualization of his female leads needs to be studied cuz this is not normal https://t.co/2kFgsc5pMs
— Alaa Ashraf (@AIaaAshraf) July 17, 2022
Unsurprisingly, it has meant that many netizens are concerned about Jennie’s appearance in the show. With the controversial themes and Jennie’s hairstyle, netizens have shared their concerns about the series and Jennie’s reputation after appearing in the show.
Despite concerns about other issues, for many netizens, the common occurrence of cultural appropriation by K-Pop idols is becoming tiring. They believe that it should be compulsory for idols to learn all about cultural appropriation so that steps can be made to ensure that these sorts of issues do not keep happening.
At this time, neither BLACKPINK’s Jennie nor the production team behind the series has made any comments.
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