The popular South Korean girl band BLACKPINK recently got into a conflict with a British newspaper, Daily Mail, over an article published on their platform on November 22, 2023.
The Daily Mail article talks about the British monarch, King Charles’ meeting with the girl group. The King presented BLACKPINK with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) award for their unparalleled contribution to the music industry.
However, the story’s headline is disrespectful towards the girl group and disregards their achievements. There is a clear xenophobic and misogynistic tone to the headline as well as the entire article. Here’s what the headline reads:
The conflict between BLACKPINK and Daily Mail arose as many considered their article about the girl group disrespectful, inappropriate, and racist. Neither Daily Mail nor BLACKPINK have officially commented on the matter, but the tabloid has been heavily criticized for their xenophobic statements in the article.
“You’d probably never heard of Korean K-Pop sensations Blackpink before the King honoured them. But here we reveal how starvation diets, daily weigh-ins and huge pressure to have plastic surgery have left a dark spectre behind the world’s biggest girl band.”
Daily Mail’s piece has several points of contention, including how the tabloid suggests the girl group did not deserve the award and was favored by the King.
Why Is the Daily Mail’s Article About BLACKPINK Controversial?
Daily Mail has been heavily criticized for their problematic and disrespectful comments towards BLACKPINK in their recently published article for several reasons.
To begin with, the writers misspelled the name of the group throughout the piece. The piece refers to the group as “Black Pink,” whereas the group officially stylizes their name as “BLACKPINK.” Netizens have pointed out that this disrespects their identity as a successful girl band.
The story also used one of the group’s old photos, which was taken in 2018. The photo is outdated and does not represent the current style and theme of the band. This indicates poor journalism on the Daily Mail’s part.
Moreover, the tabloid cropped out Lisa from the photo, who is one of the group’s only non-Korean members. Fans have pointed out that this was done intentionally.
Daily Mail also disrespectfully refers to them as “K-Pop singers”, implying that they are not capable of producing music, dancing, or rapping, all of which the group is usually known for.
Further, the opinion piece also mentions that BLACKPINK has caused many controversies in the past, such as the music video controversies, Jennie’s lazy scandal, Lisa’s du-rag controversy, and the panda cuddle controversy. However, they did not provide any context or explanation about these controversies. It seems like the article intentionally tried to portray the group’s members as problematic and scandalous.
Above all, the Daily Mail did not acknowledge BLACKPINK’s controversies or their positive contributions to the music industry. Instead, they implied that they did not deserve the MBE award and only received it as the King favored them.
The piece in question quoted a source that mentioned the King was eager to meet the group after their performance and favored them. The group, too, was thrilled to grab the King’s attention and was starstruck by him.
Daily Mail’s implications are racist and problematic, given that it is the mouthpiece of a predominantly white audience.
Fans think the tabloid has been intentionally racist and disrespectful towards the girl band for their Korean descent, as pointed out by many followers of the group. Many have also stated that the Daily Mail would never be so disrespectful towards a British band.
BLACKPINK Fans React To The Daily Mail Article
Daily Mail has received massive backlash from fans of BLACKPINK worldwide. Even neutrals have demanded an apology from their side, along with the page to be taken down immediately. Fans also started trending #ApologizeToBLACKPINK on social media.
However, the Daily Mail has not responded to these demands as of writing. The story is still available on their website, and no action has been taken from their side to rectify or edit it. BLACKPINK has also remained silent about the matter as of now.
What are your thoughts on the BLACKPINK vs Daily Mail controversy? Should Daily Mail take down the article? We would love to hear your thoughts!
Source: Daily Mail
