Katy Perry has taken a lot of flack for cultural appropriation.
Not only for her infamous geisha performance at the 2013 AMAs but also for her new mummy dancers on her Prism tour.
But Katy insists that has nothing to do with caricaturing black women as some have suggested. She says she wants to address body issues that have nothing to do with racial boundaries. She says:
"As far as the mummy thing, I based it on plastic surgery. Look at someone like Kim Kardashian or Ice-T's wife, Coco. Those girls aren't African-American. But it's actually a representation of our culture wanting to be plastic, and that's why there's bandages and it's mummies. I thought that would really correlate well together…
It came from an honest place. If there was any inkling of anything bad, then it wouldn't be there, because I'm very sensitive to people."
As far as not being allowed to use geishas or mummies, Katy is not about to apologize! In fact, she's offended at the idea she's being told to stick to a concept of American culture. She says:
"I guess I'll just stick to baseball and hot dogs, and that's it. I know that's a quote that's gonna come to f**k me in the a**, but can't you appreciate a culture? I guess, like, everybody has to stay in their lane? I don't know."
So should Katy be allowed to use themes from other cultures? Or is she being casually insensitive to the peoples of the world? Is it cultural appreciation or appropriation?
What do U think?
Either way, if Katy does lose fans for choosing to dig in her heels here, she seems fine with that. She says:
"I'm not, like, a crazy 'I'm gonna die for my fans' type. Some people are so dramatic about it, and you're like, 'Honestly, you're not the Second Coming. You're just an entertainer!'I'm very grateful for fans' support, but I'm not thirsty or desperate."
Maybe it's a lot to ask for her to die for her fans. But is Katy really not worried about offending them?