Avril's Hello Kitty is as Bad as Marrying That Guy from Nickleback

Avril Lavigne’s new music video for the song ‘Hello Kitty’ has been branded racist, but if you ask me that’s not the only way it’s offensive.

not sure if this is the Exorcist or what

The video showcases Lavigne frolicking around, pointing at the camera aggressively, and pretending to play guitar. Already, what’s to like here? Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, there are allegations that it uses its Japanese girls and theme to perpetuate cultural stereotypes.

Said Japanese girls consist of Avril’s four backing dancers, all dressed the same, with the same wigs, who at one point Avril, with great hilarity, takes a photo of as though they’re her imaginary friends. They have the same expression; she’s thrilled; they are indifferent. The independent has described the dancers as “four props” who are “robotic, expressionless, and made up to look completely interchangeable”. You can’t really argue with that summary.

But I do take issue with the use of the word prop. Since when have backing dancers ever had back stories or deep, nuanced personalities? Normally, they tend to be homogeneous just so the singer stands out, kind of like bridesmaids.

This controversy echoes the reaction to another recent music video, Lily Allen’s Hard Out There, which featured black backing dancers. Similarly, these dancers were argued to be used as “props” for the white lead singer. Here, Allen is clearly satirizing average music videos - “if you can’t detect the sarcasm then you've misunderstood” she sings. I’m not sure Avril, or whoever was in charge of her car-crash video, had considered any layer of meaning beyond I’M EATING SUSHI AND DRESSED LIKE A CUPCAKE. 

Besides the girls, the stereotyping of Japanese culture - the Hello Kitty, bright colours, sushi etc. – is perhaps problematic.   But, it has to be said, cultural appropriation in the music industry isn’t just limited to Avril’s Hello Kitty and Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku girls. Remember Jai Ho? When Pussycat Dolls thought it would be fun to wear bindis and dance all Bollywood. Was that racist or just stereotyping? Or perhaps it’s ‘celebrating’ the culture, as they would probably call it. A euphemism for commodification? Perhaps. Is Katy Perry’s Black Horse video, along with allegedly being islamophobic, dissing Egyptians? WHERE IS THE LINE DRAWN?

I personally would draw the line at Lady Gaga’s #burqaswag, which encouraged her fans to don a hijab, essentially trivialising such a contentious issue. What I would really like to see is how other cultures would stereotype America. Would the dancers be obese, wearing McDonalds uniforms?

But anyway, Avril’s response was as immature as you’d expect “RACIST??? LOLOLOL!!!” the 29-year-old brayed, “I love Japanese culture”. Thanks Avril, that’s settled then. The video’s not intentionally racist, it’s just really stupid. But anyone expecting something intelligent to go alongside a song with the lyrics “major rager OMFG” needs to be tortured with Clockwork Orange therapy of watching that video on loop.

It is up in the air whether Lavigne’s video was racist, but it is 100% certain that it is bad. 

This article is also featured in InQuire