Kacey Musgraves has become the latest celeb to be accused of cultural appropriation — and one of the most unlikely ones at that.
Twitter | @danqdao
Fans Are Livid After Seeing Photos Of Kacey Musgraves In A Traditional Vietnamese Outfit
That's because the singer is known to be so accepting of different cultures and sexual orientations.
Even so, fans are livid with her after her latest foray into another culture, calling it both appropriation and disrespectful.
Singer Kacey Musgraves has always been known to push the limits.
Instagram | @spaceykacey
For instance, it's hard to even classify what genre of music she makes since it's not 100% country, and it's not 100% something else, either.
But that's part of why people love her so much: she's her own kind of woman.
And while she's had trouble getting country stations to play her music over the years, the "High Horse" singer finally got the appreciation she deserved when she took home the 2019 Grammy for Album of the Year.
She was also a huge splash at the Met Gala this year.
Who else is rocking Barbie Chic like this to one of the biggest fashion events of the year? Nobody. Just Kacey Musgraves, that's who.
BTW, if you haven't listened to her Golden Hour album yet, you need to. It's THAT good.
Two of the songs were even inspired by some, um, "trips" she was on.
So, yeah, there's that.
As for politics, Musgraves hasn't been afraid to speak out about gun control before.
Instagram | @spaceykacey
Nor has she shied away from advocating for LGBTQ rights.
For example, her song, "Follow Your Arrow" features lyrics about same-sex relationships.
Another interesting fact about Musgraves is that she'll wear over-the-top outfits from time to time.
The only issue with that, however, is that the singer may have recently gone too far when she wore her latest outfit to her Dallas concert.
Mugraves took to Instagram to share backstage images of her wearing only the top part of ao dai.
Instagram | @spaceykacey
If you don't know what that is, it's a traditional, unisex Vietnamese outfit that is worn as a school uniform, as well as for special occasions, such as holidays, pageants, and wedding days.
Ao dai is supposed to be worn traditionally with both the tunic and pants.
Since Kacey skipped the pants, it's led to lots of criticism from both media outlets in Vietnam and Vietnamese people.
Kacey's facing a couple criticisms.
She's been accused of cultural appropriation and they're also saying that because she's not wearing pants, she's sexualizing the outfit.
On Twitter, a poet and PhD student, Mai Nguyen Do, wrote:
“When people do things like this, all it does is contribute to the dangerous notion of Southeast Asian femininity as inherently sexual."
“Please don’t further degrade this key part of Vietnamese culture and put on some pants like everyone else that wears áo dài.”
Another user accused Kacey of adding in the random headpiece just to "look exotic."
Speaking of the headpiece, many believe that it's actually Indian bridal jewelery called maang tikka.
Instagram | @spaceykacey
If that is the case, then that would mean that Musgraves was mixing cultures — a major no-no.
Michelle Phan, a beauty YouTuber and influencer who's also Vietnamese, spoke out about the issue on her Instagram account.
Instagram | @michellephan
“Imagine seeing your national traditional dress being disrespected on stage,” she said.
"Since she’s a public figure, she might influence more people to think it’s trendy.”
There's even been edited images of Kacey circulating online.
Fans are seriously disappointed in the singer.
Kacey isn't the first celeb to be accused of cultural appropriation, and sadly, she's unlikely to be the last.
Ariana Grande, for example, was accused of appropriating Japanese culture in her latest "Thank U, Next" album and she's even been accused of trying to "look black."
And with Halloween coming up, it serves as a reminder of the large number of celebs who have crossed cultural lines with their costumes.
Getty Images | Michael Kovac
For instance, far too many celebs have worn controversial Native American costumes, such as Hilary Duff, Paris Hilton, and Chrissy Teigen.
It's something that clearly needs to change not just in Hollywood, but everywhere.
Instagram | @spaceykacey
And, while Kacey has yet to respond to the controversy, we imagine that fans are eagerly awaiting her response.
Not everyone thinks it's that big of a deal though.
Of course there are some fans who defend Kacey's wardrobe choice and think people should let her "wear whatever she wants."
Most people thought it was just a lack of self awareness.
What do you think? Should Kacey have done her research, or are people being too harsh?
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