Katy Perry may have been denied a visa as well.
Last year, supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid became the first sisters to ever walk the catwalk together at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. But this year, Bella will be walking without her famous sister because of a distasteful video posted on Snapchat in February. The video showed Gigi squinting her eyes to imitate Asians as she held a cookie that resembled Buddha.
\nthis is y'all woke palestine queen? Gigi out here mocking Asian people. i would say she's cancelled but she never started. rat @GiGiHadid pic.twitter.com/b6wj5k1sXE
— . (@hvrrystime) February 5, 2017\n
The video offended many in the Asian community, not only for the eye gesture, but also because it was disrespectful to Buddhists.
\nGigi mocking Asians is offensive af. I've been laughed at for having small eyes when I was a kid just like she mocked the Asian features
— lisa (@frmtion) February 5, 2017\n
On Nov. 16, Gigi tweeted that she would not be appearing at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai, China. According to reports, Gigi’s visa was denied, so she wasn’t allowed in the country for the event.
\nI’m so bummed I won’t be able to make it to China this year. Love my VS family, and will be with all my girls in spirit!! Can't wait to tune in with everyone to see the beautiful show I know it will be, and already can't wait for next year! :) x
— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) November 16, 2017\n
It’s also believed that singer Katy Perry was scheduled to be a musical guest on the show but that her visa was pulled as well. Perry wore a sunflower-themed dress at a concert in Taiwan back in 2015. The sunflower is a symbol associated with anti-China protestors.
\n@katyperry had her Visa 4 #China denied because of her performance in #Taiwan, that’s stupid and ridiculous! She wore the sunflower dress (which is the flower they use in the protests against China and waved the Taiwanese flag during the show!No more #VictoriaSecretFashionShow pic.twitter.com/eQFsiMAvtr
— FabricioKatyCat (@MktFah) November 17, 2017\n
The Global Times ran an editorial Nov. 19 claiming that although it was unknown whether Hadid and Perry were denied visas, it made sense for political reasons. “Political correctness cannot be ignored,” the Global Times said. “Payback was unavoidable. Those who are serious about developing careers in the Chinese market can draw lessons from this case and learn to abide by the rules in China.”
Victoria’s Secret recently opened its first retail store in Shanghai, but there’s no telling if the recent controversy will affect the brand’s big launch. China’s market for women’s underwear is worth an estimated $25 billion, nearly double that of the United States.
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