Wendy, member of the popular K-pop girl group Red Velvet (Hangeul: 레드벨벳), has come under fire for being racially insensitive.
On Monday, 5 March, in an episode of South Korean variety show ‘Talk Mon’ on Olive TV, the idol was asked whether there are any differences between the way white and black women speak. Wendy, who grew up in both Canada and the United States, responded immediately “of course there are differences.”
She then continued impersonating an American white girl, adopting a high-pitched voice. After, she went on to make an exaggerated impression of an American black girl, completing the act with wagging fingers and pursed lips: “What did you say, girl!? Mmh-hmm, you ain’t doin’ that!”
International fans immediately took to social media to express how angry, disappointed and frustrated they were:
“I’m so disappointed in Wendy. Before these apologists wanna go ahead and defend Wendy, just so you know, I love Red Velvet and Wendy is my bias. However, just because she’s my bias doesn’t mean I’m going to overlook the fact that the imitation she did here is incredibly.”
“Wendy left NA and forgot how to act. She did this shit before and she got away. Everybody knows who Red Velvet is now so this will get loads of attention. She should KNOW better. She’s from here. I love her but I don’t wanna hear no “cultural difference.”
“I’m not going to stand for wendy bc what she did was totally wrong. Wendy is a grown women and she should be careful with her actions, this is the second time she do this and i can understand why you are mad but that doesn’t give you the right talk to s**t about her or red velvet.”
