IVE‘s fandom DIVE is divided.
A behind-the-scenes video of the filming of IVE’s “After Like” MV was recently released.
One clip, in particular, has gotten attention on social media as IVE’s Jang Wonyoung identified herself as an “E*kimo,” referencing her furry accessories. Many netizens are sharing the video, saying that Wonyoung said a slur.
wonyoung slur pic.twitter.com/K6IacCFFlm
— nabi 🦋 (@rumoresfantasma) September 21, 2022
Technically, this is true. While E*kimo is commonly used, it is actually a derogatory term used toward the Indigenous people groups, such as Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut.
Many Inuit, Yupik, Aleut and other individuals consider the term Eskimo to be unacceptable and even pejorative. Eskimo probably means ‘snow-shoe netter’, and has no exact synonym. It continues to be used within historical, linguistic, archaeological, and cultural contexts. The governments in Canada and the United States have made moves to cease using the term Eskimo in official documents, but it has not been eliminated, as the word is in some places written into tribal, and therefore national, legal terminology. Canada officially uses the term Inuit to describe the indigenous Canadian people who are living in the country’s northern sectors and are not First Nations or Métis. The United States government legally uses Alaska Native or Native Alaskans including the Yupik, Inuit, and Aleut, but also for non-Eskimo Native Alaskans including the Tlingit, the Haida, the Eyak, and the Tsimshian, in addition to at least nine separate northern Athabaskan/Dene peoples. The designation Alaska Native applies to enrolled tribal members only, in contrast to individual Eskimo/Aleut persons claiming descent from the world’s ‘most widespread aboriginal group’.
— Wikipedia
While many K-Pop idols have faced criticism for using slurs such as the N-word, more are empathetic toward Wonyoung. Many netizens are confessing they themselves did not know that the word is a slur.
People ar so chronically online omg I didn’t even know it was a slur??? Like I’ve been saying that word my whole life wonyoung probably didn’t know either pic.twitter.com/5gQMM1UNgR
— SEEING BLACKPINK (@hheyhaj) September 23, 2022
Yet, others are calling it hypocritical not to hold Wonyoung to the same standard as others. It’s especially being emphasized that Indingineious people should not be invalidated and ignored but rather have their voices uplifted.
she may not have known it was a slur but a slur is a slur. we shouldn’t be invalidating native people on this topic and wonyoung should be educated on this. https://t.co/Gg3hokMXGI
— Saturn 🪐 (@swannnlvr) September 22, 2022
if wonyoung was a bg member, the gg stans wouldve raised their pitchforks and perform selective activism already.
a slur is a slur. y defend her as if ur lives depends on it? https://t.co/iFqK1W0s3o
— My Chemical HYBE Boy (@PolaroidL0v3) September 23, 2022
wonyoung said a sIur instead of yall tryna correct her and all. yall calling people chronically online because u all didnt know it was a slur…how hard is it just to correct wonyoung
— venus 🧚🏾 ✘ (@bahiyyihreal) September 22, 2022
So, many are attempting to educate on the offensiveness of the slur.
-a derogatory term because it was widely used by racist, non-native colonizers. Many people also thought it meant eater of raw meat, which connoted barbarism and violence. Said to not be used unless you’re native to the circumpolar region- https://t.co/WIe1WUYNjl
— Adri ☆○o。🦊 (@sunookitchenrag) September 22, 2022
I hope the wonyoung slur situation helps to educate more people about the e slur and make it more well know that it us in fact a slur
— Gen (@Genevieveeee02) September 22, 2022
Take this as an opportunity to learn and also try to educate others and spread it to the world that this is a slur. It may be an ice cream brand to some people (and idk if they have ever known it to be anything else) but now you know that it is a slur for future reference.
— Gen (@Genevieveeee02) September 22, 2022
Netizens are hoping that not only others will be educated, but Wonyoung will be as well, and she will apologize as a result.
like idc if wonyoung “didn’t mean to say a slur” she still said it and she should apologize
— nabi 🦋 (@rumoresfantasma) September 22, 2022
Recently, Wonyoung also received criticism after styling her baby hair into curled edges and referring to it as “tweety bangs.”
Many in Korea said Wonyoung popularized the look, leaving Black fans even more frustrated as baby hairs also known as edges, have been styled for years.
wonyoung clearly has no bad intents but someone needs to tell sister that those r edges not tweety bangs .. like if someone gets a fancall yall needa tell ha https://t.co/hwUATuVZtJ
— ًtaylor #TEAMFUN (@VENTIPRlNT) September 2, 2022
being a black kpop stan is so tiring because why tf are y’all calling wonyoung’s baby hairs tweety bangs… like be fucking for real rn
— bobbi (@sehniroses) September 2, 2022
Still, the controversy surrounding both topics has not been addressed by Wonyoung or Starship Entertainment.
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