::steps up:: Interracial relationships, to include marriage, never EVER ever means you get a pass on anything. My husband’s white but you won’t see him trying to act with any authority on black issues. Be better to your spouse ::fades back::

The Root actually published several stories about it—this article was actually written a few days before I joined the staff last fall: https://www.theroot.com/nicki-minaj-and-women-like-her-are-no-friends-of-mine-1819851491

I can’t speak about cultural appropriation without a place to stand. No skin in the game. But I can say that I’ve grown tired of Nicki’s Asian and Barbie personas over the years. Really it’s a lot of music and media. They’re selling dreams. Whether they’re the more common fantasies of money, women, cars and power or…

I see your point regarding fashion but then YOU should have been the person talking to a Asian writer who extensively talks on issues that affect Asian American communities. I mean wouldn’t we want the same courtesy? Am I wrong about that? I know context matters but I’m just really having a hard time seeing this as…

I went toe-to-toe with a coworker about this. She kept calling them chopsticks, and I asked her if she used a fork to comb her hair.

Seems like she’s maxed out creatively as far as her stage act. Seems.. desperate.

The chopsticks-in-hair look on top of ‘sexy’ traditional dresses is what made it cultural appropritaion. In a negative sense. I have no problem with the Wu-Tang Clan’s approach, in fact, I appreciate it. It’s how you appropriate culture, I guess and why.

I like Nicki Minaj, but I cringed the first time I saw the original music video. The live performance was even worse. There was a way to do this song like by not being in the video and having all Asian dancers/cast. Justin Bieber did not appear in two of his most popular videos of all time so it can be done. And yes,…

It’s several kinds of foolishness. And the music is not that good.

I said what I said, and stand in that, but if you want to argue semantics, IMHO, cultural appropriation falls under the broader umbrella of cultural insensitivity, because you have to be insensitive to think that’s okay. Other than to clarify that, you asked a question, I answered it, and was clear.

You think people should be angry right now about Street Fighter and not the multimillionaire mega pop star who is perpetuating (and expanding upon) the racism of Street Fighter? Really?

This question is not complicated in the slightest. Keep the same energy damn near everyone here would have if a well known country music artist came out with a Black Panther “inspired” song. Imagine white women shaking their titties and no asses wearing dashikis and play fighting with spears to a fire country music…

IDK if it’s cultural appropriation but it IS an ugly ass costume.

As someone who grew up on Street Fighter, my main issue with the song is that Chun Li was/is NOT a bad guy!!

The video game character Chun-Li don’t have nothing to do with any of this other than the title of the song. That Saturday Night live performance was horrendous. If a white or Asian dude threw on some African garb “inspired” by black panther and made a country music video with white women shaking their asses and…

So is Wu-Tang’s obsession with Shaolin monks cultural appropriation? I mean especially when you consider they often conflate Chinese imagery and culture with Japanese culture.

Also this song really has nothing to do with Street Fighter other than the name. Hell you could even call out the actual Character of Chun-Li as…

This is a 100% mess, which is usually a sign of appropriation in a bad way. I’m Chinese and there are elements I recognize as Chinese, some are Japanese, some are . . . I guess what Americans consider one or the other?

One of my best friends is both Chinese-American and a fashion editor. She has a rage stroke any time she sees chopsticks in hair. An evil part of me wants to send her this video.

She had fucking chopsticks in her hair.

Case in point: From a purely costuming perspective, Minaj began her performance in a kimono-style garment (Japanese), shedding it to reveal a body armor-type of bodysuit that looked half-cheongsam (Chinese) and half traditional Samurai armor (Japanese). All in all, it’s a questionable but not highly original combo,…