Ariana Grande Responds to Cultural Appropriation Accusations Over Her Japanese Tattoo
By Ryan General
February 5, 2019
When Ariana Grande unveiled her unfortunate Japanese tattoo last week, the internet’s immediate reaction was mostly of ridicule.
This is because instead of reading “7 Rings” in Kanji — in reference to her song of the same name — her ink translated more closely to shichirin, a type of small Japanese charcoal grill.
Netizens further poked fun at the singer’s mistake when she tried to fix it but ended up with a tattoo that now translates to: “Japanese BBQ finger ♡.”
For the most part, Grande has taken the controversy in stride, using humor on social media to deal with her online critics.
However, when some netizens called her out for “cultural appropriation,” the singer addressed the situation over the weekend in a series of now-deleted tweets.
Reacting to comments that berated her for using a language she doesn’t understand purely for the “aesthetic” reasons, Grande first apologized and then explained her side.
“I can’t read or write Kanji obviously,” she wrote in a tweet. “What do you want me to do? It was done out of love and appreciation. What do you want me to say?”
She noted that she acknowledged her error and made an effort to correct it.
“There is a difference between appropriation and appreciation,” she added.
Grande also revealed that all of the items featuring Japanese Kanji had been taken down from her merchandise store.
“People on this app really don’t know how to be forgiving or gentle when someone has made an innocent mistake,” she wrote in another tweet that also mentioned her dealing with “crippling anxiety.”
Some netizens then accused the singer of playing the victim for bringing up her anxiety issues. Others criticized her for deleting her apology tweets.
There are also those who defended Grande and praised her for trying to fix the tattoo, while others simply wanted to give the singer a break.
Featured Image via Instagram / arianagrande
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