SENSITIVE CONTENT Kiss Of Life under fire for cultural appropriation

[RussianRoulette]

Warning: This post will have some pretty offensive content. I'm labeling this post as sensitive content, so please be advised.
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Just hours after announcing their June comeback, Kiss of Life is currently under fire for cultural appropriation (/Just being insulting towards the black and latino community in general).

Kiof held a birthday live for Julie, her birthday was on March 29th.

Her birthday live was "hip hop" themed and for the live the girls dressed up in "hip hop" style clothes and makeup, talked in a "hip hop" accent, and ate various soul foods throughout the live, and Julie was calling herself "lil taco belle", and Haneul had braids done from her roots.

There will be a picture of this under the spoilers, but Julie said her theme for the live was "old school hiphop" and showed a picture on her phone of some black rappers and said this was the theme for her birthday live.

I'll put some tweets about this under spoiler:

Spoiler

Julie was born and raised in Hawaii, is fluent in English (it's her first language) and moved to South Korea when she was 13. Fans are very angered in Julie because growing up in America she very well should know this live was very offensive.

This also isn't Julie's first controversy. At debut Julie got into hot waters from a video of her saying the N word while performing a song cover of "Strange Clouds" while she was a trainee under The Black Label. Julie had already issued an apology for this controversy shortly after debut stating that she had educated herself and was remorseful towards anyone she has offended.

(Coincidentally, Blackpink is currently under fire for multiple videos of Jennie Lisa and Rose all saying the N word while trainee's under YG coming to surface during the YG leaks.)

Many fans believe this must have been intentional due to the fact that they even went as far to prepare soul food for the live, and after the live Julie asked fans to please not leave the fandom after Before the live:
(*edit* I thought this message was sent after the live. Julie sent this message asking people not to leave the fandom before the live )

Many MANY kpop fans are calling for the girls to delete the live and release an apology. Many people are now boycotting their upcoming comeback and many foreign fan sites/fan accounts have been closing down until further notice.​

 

[Bellamy]

I just don't understand why they think it's fun using other people's cultures as costumes. I hope the backlash gives them a good lesson.

 

[Beefy]

ignorant as hell. everything about this so egregious I could almost laugh…fuck them!

 

[RussianRoulette]

I’ve been into kpop for over 10 years now and this is honestly some of the craziest shit I’ve ever seen. Especially considering every little detail they put into everything and how all of this was done by Julie, their member who was born and raised in America and very well should have known better.

I’m honestly so disgusted in Julie. For her to deliberately plan this and think it’s ok is a whole new level of fucked up. I genuinely hope she isn’t genuinely stupid enough to think this was a good idea.

 

[BianTwo]

As an non American, I'm not that shocked or I don't see what's wrong unless they really meant to mock or insult the culture. I don't even think they had any evil or bad intentions, it's probably because it looks "cool" hence why some people might try to copy, cosplay, etc. Especially the braids. At worst I'd say it's ignorant.

This is likely something I'll never understand unless I lived in the US I guess, and with the reactions given or posted here. So if that was Julie's idea, it was very bold, or risky.

Regardless their US fans got mad at them, that can have some impact. We'll see how they'll answer to this issue. Same for the sales, I'll be curious since they got more popular in Korea so they won't rely 100% on the West.

I'm now thinking : am I that out of touch or am I not sensitive ?

 

[kyom ✦ kyom ✦ pom]

Another day of groups i inexplicably dislike proving me right

 

[choively]

*another of the many reasons why I'm ignoring KOL*

 

[Chiharu]

how is this real

 

[kimsguardian]

interesting, and again it's s2

 

[fromisEJel]

I'm now thinking : am I that out of touch or am I not sensitive ?

 

[Seriously]

Regardless of how people may, or may not feel about cultural appropriation. The fact that this was organised, and undoubtedly went past multiple people at the company is crazy. Nobody went "ehhhh maybe not guys" Nobody?

 

[sooat]

they are adults and knew exactly what they were doing, there's no excuse

 

[Dragon of the West]

The company's apology is also so half-assed and almost seems to blame fans for how they perceived the live. There's literally no excuses that they can come up with that won't make this look like an absolute shitshow. I guess Julie's apology all those years ago for saying the N-word and claiming she has learnt from it were also just straight up bs.

I don't think I can listed to any of their stuff again.

 

[temporarywool]

To make it even worse:

April 3rd 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech; he was assassinated the next day.