Several American celebrities are banned in China. The Hollywood A-listers who are a part of the list, include Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Brad Pitt, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and Gigi Hadid. It’s not just them who are banned, but even several films due to their strict censorship rules.
The Chinese government got angry at a picture that Miley took where she was imitating Asians by pulling back the skin around her eyes. It’s something an elementary school kid does, not realizing it’s racist. But a young adult should know better.
The Organization for Chinese Americans had strong words about the picture, but the Chinese government turned things up to 11, straight-up banning Miley Cyrus from the country. The Chinese Foreign Minister even got involved, stating, “Miss Cyrus has made it clear she is no friend of China or anyone of East Asian descent. We have no interest in further polluting our children’s minds with her American ignorance.” The pop singer shot back on a website message by blaming the press for taking things out of context and attacking her, but the Chinese government wasn’t having it, even after a second, less confrontational apology. Years after the picture, the ban remains in place.
Actor Brad Pitt starred in the 1997 film Seven Years In Tibet, playing the 14th Dalai Lama’s tutor. Chinese officials took offense to that movie because of how it portrayed the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Deciding that the filmmakers needed to get punished for the movie, they barred the main people involved with the movie from China, including Pitt. Until 2016, Pitt couldn’t set foot in China.
Meeting the Dalai Lama was probably a really cool experience for former Disney star Selena Gomez, but it also got her banned from China. In rehearsals for the 2014 We Day Vancouver event the pop-star met the Dalai Lama. That might not have been too bad for her Chinese relations, but somebody took a picture of it and Selena Gomez, being the teen idol she is, made sure to post the picture on her Instagram and Twitter.
The Chinese outrage was really slow in developing, and Selena didn’t even know that the government had taken offense to the picture until two years later when she was planning tour dates in China. Her website announced shows scheduled for Guangzhou and Shanghai while the tour was in planning. One day those dates were mysteriously deleted from the website.
According to sources the Chinese government had finally gotten around to enacting a ban on her for the now two-year old picture (which has since been removed from Twitter and Instagram), which we like to imagine was a hilariously long bureaucratic process and not the more simple explanation that the Chinese government didn’t really have much reason to pay attention to Gomez’s Instagram back in 2014.
In 2017, it was reported by BBC that Justin Bieber was banned in China due to his ‘bad behaviour.’ Justin has had his fair share of controversial moments in the past. From being arrested for driving under influence to drug abuse, the singer has been through a lot of struggles.
Though a lot of people have condemned Bieber in the past due to that, the Chinese government decided to ban him from the country. The news portal had reported that the ministry released a statement that read, “Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer.” “We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the public,” it further read.
It has been years since then, and Justin has made several changes in his life. The Baby singer has also opened up about his behaviour in the past and has revealed struggling with fame, especially while being a child artist.
Earlier in April 2021, the Peaches crooner had said that he is “very influenced by black culture”. However, in the words of a fan, the singer’s recent Instagram post took him “1000 (steps) backward” with regards to his efforts against racial discrimination because Bieber is once again facing accusations of cultural appropriation over his hair.
On Sunday, the 28-year-old singer debuted short dreadlocks on Instagram, sharing several pictures of his controversial new hairstyle that elicited both calls of racial insensitivity and praise amongst peers.
Some Black women called Bieber’s hairstyle offensive and disrespectful and urged him to change it and apologise while others defended him, saying he can wear his hair the way he wants.
Dreadlocks are traditionally connected to the culture and identities of Black people, and wearing them is viewed by some as cultural appropriation. Locs – which are commonly referred to as dreadlocks, a term that holds a historically negative connotation – is a style where hair locks into fused coils over time.
Hence, it was no surprise that social media users did not go easy on Bieber. One person tweeted: “Listen Justin Bieber. I don’t care how long I’ve liked you, this is cultural appropriation and I don’t like it.”
Fans are hurt because earlier in June, Bieber had said that he is committed to speaking up about racial injustice.
“My style, how I sing, dance, perform, and my fashion have all been influenced and inspired by Black culture,” Bieber had said. “I am committed to using my platform this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression, and to identify ways to be a part of much-needed change.”
Meanwhile, earlier in 2016, Bieber had received flak for wearing cornrows.
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