A parody music video titled “Kung Fu Vagina” has come under fire for its blatant and ruthless use of archaic Asian stereotypes.
The video was brought into question by fashion watchdog group Diet Prada on Monday, where some horrified followers thought it was an SNL skit versus an actual ad.
The three-minute production, which came out last week, is the brainchild of Kim Anami, a “holistic sex and relationship expert” based in Los Angeles and Bali.
The song parodies the 1974 disco hit “Kung Fu Fighting,” which is already controversial for having lines such as “They were funky China men, from funky Chinatown” and “They were chopping them up, they were chopping them down.”
Right off the bat, viewers are treated to opening titles in the dated “wonton font,” a typeface that mimics brush strokes used in Chinese characters to denote “Orientalness.“
Anami, who is white, then shows up with a pair of Asian and Black women, who practically appear as her “sidekicks.”
The next two minutes is a smorgasbord of visual elements that are now offending and confusing critics: mismatched Chinese and Japanese cultural references, the fetishization of traditional costumes and downright bizarre scenes that seem to come out of nowhere.
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The parody, which promotes Anami’s latest course, basically sums itself up in the chorus: “Everybody wants a Kung Fu-gina, master the jade egg from China.”
The video has received 24,000 views on YouTube as of this writing, with users throwing in more thumbs down than up.
“Kung Fu Vagina” has barely any critical comments on YouTube, but users have accused it of racism on Instagram and Twitter. The fact that it was directed and produced by another white woman, Shae Raven, did not surprise critics. Social media users also shared how they were blocked by Anami after criticizing the video.
Feature Image Screenshots via Kim Anami
