Since Grande did attempt to defend herself by claiming that she was simply appreciating the culture, we see that this comment proves otherwise.
This comment is particularly disturbing, as often times many cultures are ripped off and used for their aesthetics instead of genuine appreciation. She said that the tattoo “still looked tight,” which suggests that she did indeed care more about the aesthetic of the tattoo as opposed to its actual meaning. “She couldn’t just write ‘7 rings’ in English, she had to use kanji.”Įven worse, however, is that her first reaction toward the “tiny barbecue grill” tattoo was to play it off as a quirky, relatable mistake. “I guess I understand that everyone makes mistakes, but the fact that she wanted in Japanese even after she came under fire for cultural appropriation just proves that she’s using Japanese culture for the aesthetic,” agreed Michelle P. Her claims about the tattoo being an “innocent mistake” seem unfounded given the resources she has and the common sense to tread carefully around unfamiliar languages that she should have had. What do you want me to do? It was done out of love and appreciation.” She then went on to cite her “crippling anxiety” as cause for her sensitive reaction to the backlash.īecause Grande has been learning the language for years and even has a personal Japanese tutor with whom she consulted in trying to fix her tattoo, she could have easily prevented the mishap.
THANK YOU NEXT LYRICS VIDEO SERIES
In a series of now-deleted tweets, Grande responded by saying “I can’t read or write kanji obviously. As she attempted to fix her tattoo (only to make things worse by changing the meaning to “tiny barbecue grill finger”), fans grew increasingly angry, as such a mistake suggests a shallow appreciation of the language to begin with. Immediately, the media latched onto this story for its humorous potential and Grande’s light-hearted attitude toward her mistake. To top it all off, Grande attempted to tattoo “7 rings” in kanji onto her palm as homage to her new single but made the mistake of tattooing “tiny barbecue grill” instead. But, as evidenced by the clear lack of respect in the video, they neglected to do even that. Even without being a part of the culture themselves, they still could have done research to hold themselves accountable before moving forward. In fact, it seems as though no one on the creative team that chose to use these “ kawaii ” aesthetics has any insight on the culture, as neither the director of “7 rings” nor the cover art designer of “imagine” is Japanese. Not even a single person of Japanese descent is featured in the music video itself. These seemingly innocent “nods” toward Japanese culture become concerning upon realizing that the song, once again, has nothing to do with Japanese culture. Many other references crop up throughout the music video: the alcohol featured seems to be sake, a Japanese rice wine Grande eats sushi with a pair of chopsticks in one scene and Japanese kanji can be found on an assorted number of props on the set.
Her use of kanji extends to her official merchandise as well, though she has taken down all merchandise featuring kanji (except for one) after facing significant backlash from her fans.Īdditionally, the “7 rings” music video heavily features Japanese aesthetics-once again, the song title is written with Japanese kanji instead of English.
Therefore, there seems to be no purpose in including kanji on the album cover in the first place. “Whoever said money can’t solve your problems must not have had enough money to solve ‘em,” sings Ariana Grande on one of her newest singles, “7 rings.” While her unapologetic lyrics have already garnered mixed reactions-with some claiming that she’s entitled to use her money in whatever way she wants and others suggesting that blatantly flaunting her “retail therapy” habit is rather arrogant and distasteful-the real reason for which the pop star should be coming under fire has rarely been discussed by the media, if at all: her cultural appropriation of Japanese culture.īack in December, Grande released one of the earliest singles off of the album: “imagine.” The album cover art quickly drew ire for featuring the name of her single in Japanese kanji instead of English, since the lyrics read as a typical song about unattainable love with no references to Japanese culture at all.
0 kommentar(er)
