CLC’s Seungyeon Accused Of Cultural Appropriation, Netizens Are Split In Opinion
CLC‘s Seungyeon was accused of cultural appropriation when she uploaded photos of herself wearing an Indian bindi on her forehead and a dupatta to cover her head.
She uploaded the photo with little explanation besides a caption that read, “girl“. Fans believe it may be a part of her monthly dance video.
Many netizens criticized Seungyeon for cultural appropriation. They claimed it was disrespectful of her to wear the bindi and dupatta as an accessory.
On the other hand, other netizens and fans quickly defended her. They claimed she was appreciating the Indian culture, rather than appropriating it.
Bindis are known to hold religious and cultural significance. Some Hindu cultures wear it as a symbol of a third eye that “focuses inward toward God”, and some women wear a red bindi as a symbol for marriage.
However, some modern Indian women wear bindis as an accessory, which brings up the debate about whether people without any cultural background wearing them would be considered cultural appropriation.
Seungyeon and Cube Entertainment have yet to make a statement about her post.
