Social media users are accusing British girl group Little Mix of culturally appropriating a traditional Chinese dress in their first fashion collection launched with U.K. brand PrettyLittleThing.
Prior to the collection’s launch on Thursday, both Little Mix and PrettyLittleThing posted teaser photos in their Instagram pages, one of which showcased members Jesy, Perrie, Jade and Leigh-Anne in pieces the resemble the traditional Chinese cheongsam.
View this post on InstagramOur collection with @prettylittlething lands THIS Thursday. Who’s excited?!⚜ #PLTxLittleMix ⚜
Owned by fashion retailer Boohoo Group, PrettyLittleThing is headquartered in Manchester and operates in the U.K., Ireland, France, Australia and the U.S.
In their latest ad, the company described the group’s collection as “the ultimate party-wear looks to suit every kinda style.”
The pieces in question were seem to be made in the likeliness of the traditional Chinese dress cheongsam, which features Mandarin collars and silk embroidery.
Also known as qipao, the cheongsam is a close-fitting dress that originated from Shanghai in the 1920s and were worn among upper-class women.
Little Mix’s post has received massive support from their fans, with 294,000 likes as of this writing.
However, many slammed the group for blatant cultural appropriation:
This is not the first time Little Mix has been accused of cultural appropriation. In early 2018, Jesy came under fire after sharing a photo of herself with dreadlocks, along with the caption “Shootin’.”
