IVE Rei‘s recent comments have sparked a huge debate.
Recently, Rei had a live stream where she showed off her new Hello Kitty plushie which she said was “tanning Kitty.”
She then explained that she put certain clothes on to add “Hip Hop” vibes before pretending her plushie was rapping, using certain words and sounds she seemingly associated with the genre.
When the video was posted, it quickly went viral.
I love her so bad but what in the fuck are you talking about 😭😭😭??? pic.twitter.com/ItTHWGlSPD
— ?ani? (@detectivewon_) July 29, 2024
Netizens raised their eyebrows at Rei automatically getting a “tanned” Hello Kitty and associating it with things that seem to fit with racial stereotypes.
So she gets a tanned hello kitty and immediately starts with the hip hop gang gang skrrt skrrt black racial stereotypes….. okay……weird🤨 pic.twitter.com/OZW009MwPG
— Taliyah⁷☁️🩶 (@VantesCreation) July 29, 2024
So one else finds it a bit weird that #REI from #IVE gets a tanning kitty and decides to give it camo boxers to look “hip hop” and then says “gang gang skrtt” or should we let this slight ignorance pass bc she said it in a cute way? #kpop pic.twitter.com/vz4MNSzULK
— nobodyyy (@ooooaaaaooaa1) July 29, 2024
Yet, many fans hit back at the accusations of Rei being racist. They explained that while they might be criticizing her wording and actions, they believe that it stemmed from the heavy stereotypes and prejudices associated with darker skin tones.
some of yall need to get real. no one’s calling rei some sort of racist but that doesnt mean what she said isnt a heavy stereotype of people with brown/dark skin. it’s 2024 and we’re still protecting idols from colourism like im confused https://t.co/OJJ8nvChNN
— jarai ⋆.☆ (@bratzmioka) July 29, 2024
now do i think rei meant anything malicious or harmful by this? no.
i believe this more of a case of harmful stereotypes and prejudices set on black people that these idols are too blissfully ignorant about to be educated on.
— josiahh!🐧 (@urrfavonce_) July 29, 2024
I’m never going to be someone to defend an idol’s ignorance but I would like to defend Rei’s character. She’s not a malicious person and I think she’d be genuinely horrified to realize her words have hurt people in any way. Give her a chance to learn before assuming the worst. https://t.co/43UuCcnjRo
— Cassie ☀️IVEPALOOZA☀️ (@reikkomia) July 29, 2024
it’s so crazy that they truly don’t understand how the most random shit they do (with probably no ill intentions) is racist. like ughhhhhhhh omg it’s so annoying cus some of them truly don’t see the shit cus this shit is completely normal to them https://t.co/PEKhHzikoO
— ɴ ɪ ᴄ ۵ 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩 (@chaeWONryeong) July 29, 2024
While many fans aren’t accusing Rei of racism, they believe it sparks a wider debate about racial stereotypes.
