Fans Accuse South Korean girl group Oh My Girl Of Cultural Appropriation Again
3 min read
OH MY GIRL. Credit: Sony Music Korea / WM Entertainment
South Korean girl band Oh My Girl has become the talk of the town as they are accused of cultural appropriation. Again.
The group was featured in the recent episode of a popular Korean variety series called Amazing Saturday.
In the latest episode, we can witness band member Hyojung covering a song titled Curry by Norazo.
The said song is a jumble of offensive stereotypes and includes lyrics such as ‘It’s yellow, spicy, and although it doesn’t smell nice, Taj Mahal,’ and ‘Shanti Shanti, yoga fire! I love hot curry!’
Not only that but the idol’s also made some stereotypical dancing moves that disrespected Indian/Desi culture.
Fans criticize Oh My Girl for cultural appropriation
On 28th April, a clip of the Korean television series Amazing Saturday circulated all over the internet. The snippet however left the majority of K-pop fans upset.
The video showcased Oh My Girl member Hyojung karaoking the song Curry by Norazo. She simultaneously mimicked Indian dance moves which mocked the Desi culture.
Amazing Saturday invited several second-generation girl bands to celebrate the television show’s 200th episode. The episode also included K-pop idol Taeyeon.
Oh My Girl member, Hyojung however faced tons of backlash for her not-so-clever dancing moves during the karaoke session.
Hundreds and thousands of K-pop enthusiasts took to several social media services to express their feelings about the girl group after the video was released.
Fans called Oh My Girl out for cultural appropriation and expressed their disappointment at the members’ improper behavior. They further tried to reason by stating that when K-pop idols mock Desi culture their Indian voices are not taken seriously so they are left unheard.
The girl group has insulted Desi culture multiple times previously but fans are not having it this time. A maximum number of fans are demanding an apology from Oh My Girl.
Some fans on the other hand blame the girl band’s agency for misleading the group as well as for their lack of response.
Other instances of Oh My Girl mocking Indian/Desi culture
Oh My Girl released a single called Windy Day back in May 2021. Fans believe that the song has South Asian/ Indian musical elements to it.
Following the song’s release, Korean fans dubbed the band ‘curry-dols’. The new nickname annoyed Indian fans since it is a play on the word ‘idol’.
Other than that, the girl group once referred to Indian dance moves as ‘the Aladdin dance’ which further enraged the fans.
— DESI KPOPPER (@DesiKpopper7) April 27, 2022
Ugh I'm tired 👩🏾🦯#ohmygirlapologize
— m⁷ (@Romanoff_luvr) April 27, 2022
