Avril Lavigne Responds To ‘Hello Kitty’ Racism Comments
Avril Lavigne has been bashed repeatedly by the internet regarding her newest music video, “Hello Kitty,” which many are claiming is nothing but a racist mess. Well, Avril is fighting back, taking to her Twitter account to set everyone straight:
RACIST??? LOLOLOL!!! I love Japanese culture and I spend half of my time in Japan. I flew to Tokyo to shoot this video…
— Avril Lavigne (@AvrilLavigne) April 24, 2014
…specifically for my Japanese fans, WITH my Japanese label, Japanese choreographers AND a Japanese director IN Japan. — Avril Lavigne (@AvrilLavigne) April 24, 2014
Avril’s video was set to release on Wednesday, though it could be found on the internet as early as Tuesday evening. The “Hello Kitty” single was co-written by Avril and her new hubby Chad Kroeger and according to USA Today, now both artists are coming under fire.
The video featured the beloved punk rocker dressed in a black and pink ensemble covered with giant cupcakes. Many were upset by Avril’s choice in fashion, claiming that it was mocking the Japanese culture. She came under further fire for having Japanese females playing the part of robotic dancers in the background and for having a Japanese entourage following her around.
Many claimed that this video was nothing but a racist mess meant to mock her Japanese followers, but Avril’s team wants to squash that rumor for good.
“The video is an homage to all the things she loves about Japan,” her rep told ABC News. “Food, fashion, fun!”
So, if this video wasn’t a “racist mess” then why was it taken offline only hours after it originally surfaced? Many reports hinted that the video was removed from YouTube because of the “racist” content, while others claimed that Avril was so upset that her fan’s viewed it so negatively, that she demanded it be taken down. Well, Avril’s rep continued on to tell ABC News:
“It was not pulled from YouTube,” the rep said, “but it was GEO BLOCKED as VEVO is set to premiere it exclusively tomorrow! Fans were ripping the video and posting to YouTube and then getting removed due to the geo-blocking.”
Earlier reports by The Inquisitr have stated that one of Avril Lavigne’s largest fan communities is her Asian following, so does it really make sense that she would go and intentionally create a music video to mock them? No, it doesn’t.
Besides many viewer’s opinions about the “annoyance” level of Avril Lavigne’s “Hello Kitty” music video, do you honestly think she was acting with racist intentions? Follow the Twitter debate below and make sure to share your thought in the comments!
Tweets about “hello kitty music video”
[Image via Avril Lavigne MV Youtube Screen Grab]
