ATEEZ's company apologizes for cultural appropriation

[rose-potion.livejournal.com]

[🎬] ATEEZ - Title #2 Instrumental Teaser
⠀
ALBUM RELEASE 2020. 7. 29 6PM
⠀#FEVER_Part_1 #ATEEZ #에이티즈 pic.twitter.com/hgkHuD7tTu

— ATEEZ(에이티즈) (@ATEEZofficial) July 13, 2020

ATEEZ was under fire yesterday when they released this teaser image for their next comeback. We can see member Hongjoong wearing cornrows. On the same day, KQ Entertainment released this official statement after receiving complaints from fans.

Hello. This is KQ Entertainment.

We would like to genuinely thank our fans for your attention, love, and support for ATEEZ’s new album “ZERO : FEVER Part.1.”

We would like to make an announcement in terms of the “Title #1, #2 Instrumental Teaser” of ATEEZ’s “ZERO : FEVER Part.1” released on July 14 at midnight KST.

From the images released on July 14, ATEEZ member Hongjoong’s hair in the Title #2 image was styled in consideration of the concept of the song, without any other particular purposes. Therefore, ATEEZ and we, KQ Entertainment, did not have any intention of commercializing or depreciating other cultures at all.

Through the issues and the opinions from our fans, we have become fully aware of the concerns and seriousness of this issue. From now on, we, KQ Entertainment, will try our best to fully review and check the historical backgrounds, characteristics, and the cultures in the production process. We will not create issues that were not intended or expected.

Therefore, based on the opinions of our fans, we will change the hairstyle during promotions and broadcasting activities that will take place after the release of this upcoming album.

However, we ask for your understanding that it is not possible to edit and modify the hairstyle of the member in this album’s photos, music videos, and other contents as we have completed the preparation for this album.

KQ Entertainment would like to take this as an opportunity to pay more attention to the racial, historical, and cultural issues and include balanced perspective and viewpoints in the content that we release.

Thank you.

Source: @ATEEZofficial, ATEEZ Official Fancafé


Another day, another cultural appropriation problem. "we'll try our best" I'm dying inside, I don't know if all of these people are really this thick or they just do that again and again for publicity, thinking with a little apology everything will be fine.
Guess I won't wait for this new album...

Comments

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

the replies to that original tweet.........phew.............

[rose-potion.livejournal.com]

These young people have no clue what cultural appropriation actually is.
It baffles me that in these companies they don't have fashion and make-up/hair artists who actually know History. It should be mandatory.

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

the DEBATES over whether or not they were Dutch braids or cornrows made me want to gouge my eyes out

[ohmylol.livejournal.com]

that always happens with things CA related, ALWAYS, or if they are actual braids or gel twists or the "black people didn't invent braids", etc, etc, etc

[rose-potion.livejournal.com]

Haha I saw this excuse in the comments about how Egyptians pharaohs wore braids so it's not that racist !
What do the youth learn at school seriously ?

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

it's just like ??????? we're in 2020????????? what excuse do you have for this level of ignorance

[vintage-boom.livejournal.com]

KQ of Block B "cultural appropriation as a concept" fame pleading ignorance...

[cosmopudin.livejournal.com]

their fans are a mess on twt rn
this is...
is this CA season or?

[dalpaengi.livejournal.com]

they knew. this is just the way they get a big buzz before the comeback.
I say this as a huge ateez fan. Also the non-black or self hating black fans always make these situations worse.

[greasetastic-x.livejournal.com]

My thing is that if you wanted to use cornrows and saw the beauty in them why do you only choose to use them when you want to emulate a "hard" "gansta" "bad boy" etc. concept? My black ass has worn cornrows to work, to formal events everywhere because there is a beauty in them. But no they only want to use them in moments like these. Triflin' ass

Secondly if your gonna do it at least make them look good ffs. Every time i see an idol don cornrows that shit always looks messy af and it's insulting.

[dongsaengkiller.livejournal.com]

I know!!!! It’s straight awful on him! Even if you don’t care about the culture you’re appropriating shouldn’t you care that your artist looks like a goddamn mess? Cornrows are so beautiful so they fact they all come out looking horrific is an added insult to the injury

[aures.livejournal.com]

i am a white woman and therefore i hope you don't mind me saying this but i agree with you, you should wear them if you want to/can, they are so beautiful! i always really admire them, it looks so intricate and so hard to learn

(sorry if my comment is a little awkward idk really how to compliment it without sounding like i only admire it for the beauty without realizing the hardships that also come with it)

[greasetastic-x.livejournal.com]

I don't mind you saying this at all! Thank you! I wish your views were more popularly held!

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

cornrows are so aesthetically pleasing (the symmetry!!!!!!!!!!!!) but I can't help but wonder are they painful?

[greasetastic-x.livejournal.com]

They can be and time consuming! The smaller they are, the more it tends to hurt imo. It also depends on the person doing them, some people can be rough. But it isn't that bad. Or at least it shouldn't be that bad.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

It does seem like a lot of work
But it shows: the result is so pretty

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

The album is releasing on the 29th. They have plenty of time to edit the mv to remove the dance scenes where he's center and put the ones where he's dancing in the back so that his hair is less noticeable at first glance. They also have time to re-shoot his solo glamour shots. It's not like the mv will have some amazing deep story that will be completely destroyed if they remove the scenes where he's front center and giving us smouldering eyes.

Just say you you're too lazy and stingy to be bothered and call it a way. No need for those fake concerns and "reflection" that lead to nothing.

[blck-ink.livejournal.com]

his hair was styled in consideration of the concept of the song... i assume it won't be classical music.

was it this group that posted a message in support of the blm movement? if it was then that didn't last long lol.

[rose-potion.livejournal.com]

They did the bare minimum for BLM, like the majority of the k-pop groups, with a tweet. They probably suffer from memory loss.

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

Help me.
What is the problem in the photo?

The blue Allegra's window blue cornrows or the bandana?

[rose-potion.livejournal.com]

TBH all of their hair is a major problem but only Smurf boy's one is racist.

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

Smurf boy
The cornrows 😕

Thanks

[snowphone.livejournal.com]

well i'm impressed that they even responded tbh. the apology isn't perfect by any means but i'm happy to see that they're taking cornrows as an actual instance of CA.

[kcaomei.livejournal.com]

"styled in consideration of the concept of the song"... doesn't get much more gross than that

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It’s a fucking costume to them.

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

the bar is soooo low that i was impressed they actually made a statement about this and acknowledged it. now let's see how they'll do in the future...

[chikage-chan.livejournal.com]

“ was styled in consideration of the concept of the song, without any other particular purposes.”

Did you even think of WHY you probably chose that hairstyle for that song? And then proceeded to talk about it as a costume?

“did not have any intention of commercializing“

You’re literally doing that, wtf, do these people even read their own apologies?!

[cosmicdaze.livejournal.com]

i'm saying this as someone who ults ateez but i'm honestly surprised it took this long for there to be a cultural appropriation issue seeing as at this point it's basically a rite of passage w ~hip hop boy groups. kq knew exactly what they were doing w that hairstyle (despite how poorly done it is it's obvious what they were going for, especially considering the 'apology') and they gave hongjoong that style on purpose because he's the leader and a rapper.

i'm genuinely surprised with how quickly they responded and how long their message is. hopefully they remember this for the future if for no other reason than the fact that kpop fans mobilize like crazy and have no problem doing it again and again.

[digitalqueen.livejournal.com]

their fans are so messy