KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — Ariana Grande has come under fire for her latest makeup look, with many saying the US singer is “Asian fishing”.
“Asian fishing” is a term used to describe a person who is not Asian who tries to look like one, particularly East Asian, through the clothes and makeup they wear or photo editing.
The Thank U, Next pop star attracted criticism earlier this month when she posted a series of photos on Instagram.
Social media users couldn’t help but notice Grande’s new and unusual look in the pictures that saw her sporting straight brows, thin-winged eyeliner, a no-eyelid makeup look as well as a foundation shade that appeared lighter than usual that many associated with the Asian aesthetic.
Observers also slammed the former Nickelodeon star for her demure pose, saying Grande was promoting stereotypes that reinforce the fetishisation of Asian culture.
Following the accusations, the 28-year-old deleted the photos from her social media platforms to avoid further controversy.
literally wtf is this… bc i know Ariana grande is not trying to go from black fishing to asian fishing…. pic.twitter.com/OdW0pkxvZg
— Lily Liang (@lilyliang129) December 3, 2021
On December 7, she uploaded a short video of her new look before reporting for judging duties on the reality singing competition The Voice.
Grande was previously accused of Black fishing for her overly tanned skin, accent and language.
not ariana grande race fishing again. first it was black, now it's asian, when will she stop
— 🌹🍑 | STICKER AOTY 😭💚 (@babyphotoastray) December 3, 2021
In 2019, the Rain On Me singer made headlines for a foreign language faux pas when the kanji characters for “Japanese BBQ grill” were tattooed on her hand instead of “7 Rings” to celebrate her hit single.
Despite the recent uproar from some, the singer’s fans, including those of Asian background didn’t find her new look offensive.
not non-asian people felt uncomfortable and offended by ariana grande "asian fishing" shit 💀 while us, Asians / SE Asians didn't even notice it and had nothing to say about it.
— Alfie 🏳️🌈🎀 (@AlfieVelasco) December 5, 2021
y'all just love to let successful woman down, don't you? pic.twitter.com/wwmiZX6DJQ
As an Asian myself I didn’t even noticed like idk if you’re Asian but Ariana always had small eyes and she’s definitely not Asian fishing. I’m not even a fan but I have to stand up for with this.
— naomi (@naomi6729) December 6, 2021
a lot of these “ariana grande is asian fishing” comments just makes me think y’all have never seen asian people irl
— nikki 🧃 (@retrobabecalum) December 3, 2021
stop saying “Ariana is tryna be Asian” or “she’s Asian fishing” even if you mean to respect Asian culture, what you’re doing is clearly based on a bias that Asian people have “those eyes." have you ever seen a single Asian person irl plz #ArianaGrande pic.twitter.com/qRNrtP6lvR
— nachi :) (@i_am_nachiii) December 4, 2021
In Japan, the singer’s new look was a welcome sight with many saying there was nothing wrong with Grande wanting to imitate another culture’s style, according to SoraNews24.
Others pointed out that many in Japan wore Western-style makeup.
“Ariana really loves Japan, let her do whatever she wants,” one comment read.
“I think it’s interesting that Westerners think this is bad. For me, as an Indonesian, I don’t think it’s a problem,” said another.
