http://benihime99.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] benihime99.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] omonatheydid2013-08-01 08:27 pm

G-Dragon's Camp Says K-Pop Star Wasn't Wearing Blackface

Says Trayvon Martin-like Instagram photo was both "HUGE misunderstanding" and reference to cover art from Big Bang mastermind's next solo effort

130801-g-dragon

An Instagram photo of South Korean pop idol G-Dragon wearing what appears to be a hoodie and dark coloring over his skin was not meant as a comment on race or politics, according to a rep for the Big Bang leader.

"GD was simply wearing different facepaint colors and this is a HUGE misunderstanding," the spokesperson said in an email to SPIN. "The facepaint is only a color variation for his album cover which includes black, white, and red. It is in no way meant to be a political or racial statement."

The rep further clarified, "It’s being derived by a simple photo shoot where GD was using different facepaint colors for his upcoming album."

G-Dragon's spokesperson also said SPIN's article reporting on the image "is completely wrong and taken out of context."

The response comes after we reported on the photo, noting its resemblance to an iconic image of slain Florida youth Trayvon Martin and pointing out that it had drawn criticism online. Though the singer's Instagram account made no mention of Martin, the image bears an eerie similiarity to a meme that had Frank Ocean, Diddy, the-Dream, and others posting photos of themselves in a hoodie last year. (Rap-Up has a good collection of these Martin-inspired images.) Online forums Oh No They Didn't! and One Asian World previously pointed out an alleged connection to the Martin tributes.

G-Dragon is set to appear at KCON 2013, a K-pop convention in Los Angeles on August 24 and 25, and he is readying a new solo album. G-Dragon's 2012 "Crayon" was SPIN's No. 1 K-pop song of the year. His group Big Bang's "Bad Boy" was one of SPIN's 21 Greatest K-Pop Songs of All Time. Check out our coverage of a Big Bang concert in New Jersey here.

The original Instagram photo is below:
130801-g-dragon-facepaint_0
That's some Justin Bieber level of PR...

EDIT:
the official omona twitter has shared our open letter with authors from spin and the la times who wrote articles about GD.

Spin

[identity profile] ceecile.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
But this doesn't sound like they understand that blackface is wrong. They're just clarifying that he didn't mean it as a Trayvon Martin homage. They're not apologizing or anything.

Curious though, do you think he even knew about Trayvon Martin? Because it hasn't been in the news where I live and I only know of it because I follow US news a bit.
Edited 2013-08-01 19:48 (UTC)

[identity profile] miwa201.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
(And a huge LOL at all of you saying it was a mask)

vips on onehallyu were all like "he's promoting the saem! it's definitely a face mask, i cannot wait until he clears that out to laugh at everyone who doubted him" (i made the mistake of trying to explain to these people why what he did was wrong. never again) and some even spread the rumor he commented on the photo saying it's a face mask, even adding ";__;", aww poor baby gd. i'm so happy it wasn't a face mask just for these idiots.

[identity profile] annhh.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
mte

[identity profile] heartsolid.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
I think that may be a good idea.

[identity profile] miwa201.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
oh and the guardian also covered it: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/01/k-pop-g-dragon-trayvon-martin-controversy

this comment is pretty sad, but also not surprising:
I lived in Korea for a while. This doesn't surprise me, nor does it offend me. The country consumes a lot of American culture while remaining totally removed from the substance of it and the level of awareness about racism toward black people is quite naive. We're talking about an almost totally homogeneous country.
A school production of Hairspray I saw used black face. After a the initial shock of seeing it, it stopped bothering me. I know my friend who was in it was mortified to learn that this was offensive to some. Her favourite singers are black and she and the cast wanted to honour that as well as engage with the racial storyline. To her it was the same as playing a geisha and painting your face stark white.
Koreans I met were really curious about heterogeneity and non-white races. I am black and have afro hair some of the time. I had elderly people touch my hair while I was standing in public places and children stop open mouthed in supermarkets (one little girl in a supermarket stopped in front of me turned and ran away, she then returned hand in hand with her brother who also stood open mouthed looking at me. Their parents were so embarrassed, but it was actually quite cute and funny like you would believe). In Korea as a Black British person I was met with curiosity, wonder and real appreciation mostly. I mean who would have a problem walking past a group of teenagers and hearing them whisper "Wow!"
There is racism in Korea, serious prejudice. Most of what I witnessed was toward Americans - who were assumed to be rude, sexually promiscuous and stupid - and towards other Asians who are judged very heavily on appearance and status.

[identity profile] yolleh.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow at the way this has blown up!
I definitely think the Trayvon angle is still reaching but I'm glad at least it's got to the level where his rep has had to step in. Now, if we could get some minority studies classes for them or something, that would be wonderful.

[identity profile] miwa201.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)
definitely, i can see teddy saying that all the time. plus there's that mina kwon girl who draws taeyang and others in darker skintones. i just hope cl doesn't say it.

[identity profile] dalpaengi.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
this!

[identity profile] 45s.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
you know? this shit bugs me bc a person i follow on twitter got her tweets ripped off by a gawker idiot and the guy and gawker basically called her names and a 'hoodrat' on twitter

like, journalistic integrity is out the window

[identity profile] atenais-pala.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course the history behind the "blackface" it's a shame, but people in America have to stop thinking that the world spins around them.

Not everybody in this planet does things to offend you and harm you. The huge drama behind GD's Instragram shows it just fine.

[identity profile] 45s.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
ppl are still thinking intent matters always when it comes to shit like this and like they still refuse to get it.

[identity profile] toshi830.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Who is your icon and why have I stared at it for 3 minutes

[identity profile] miwa201.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
except it's not only americans who find it offensive? i saw several black british people on twitter getting offended

[identity profile] sunshine2163.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
....cl probably says it too. remember who she hangs out with.....

told you it wasn't a face mask

[identity profile] modestgoddess79.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
so they admit that it was black face paint but say it wasn't blackface ... ok

what no attempt to explain why he had his shirt pulled over his head like that?

[identity profile] ceecile.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Must have missed it when they did. I try to watch France2 or Arte's news program every night but I only saw it mentioned briefly once and it didn't offer much information.

[identity profile] toshi830.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Who would buy an album with this scary ass looking mofo in blackface anyways

Rhetorical question, I already know the answer of wet preteen oppapologists who think he's the shit.

[identity profile] modestgoddess79.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
can Taeyang get a fail too? pretty please

[identity profile] e-bone (from livejournal.com) 2013-08-01 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
IA it was a silly gesture. Now it looks like he was trying to be 'provocative' or something with this pic. Epic fail tbh.

I don't believe the PR explanation, only b/c I can't see YG allowing artists to 'tease' album concepts without his stamp of approval. Why don't they just admit this fool got drunk and got into 2NE1's makeup kit LOL.

[identity profile] modestgoddess79.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes it was one of those really thin smooth face mask that you put on your eyelids and damn it when people do avocado mask you don't accuse them of doing green face and being racist against aliens with your darn Earth centric beliefs, everything does not revolve around the Earth it revolves around the Sun!

[identity profile] greeds.livejournal.com 2013-08-01 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
It's Kashiwagi Yuki from AKB48!

http://vid48.com/watch_video.php?v=5UGUMY6MYKDK heres the video its from if you're interested :-)

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