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On Tuesday, November 28, TREASURE's Hyunsuk was at the receiving end of severe criticism, following his hair reveal at 2023 MAMA. While fans were thrilled to see the group and watch their energetic performance live, they were upset and disappointed to notice that the idol's hairstyle could apparently come across as offensive to many cultures.
The idol was seen adorning blond dreads on his hair, and since the hairstyle is associated with Black culture, and done to protect the hair, fans were angered by his alleged misrepresented and mere aesthetical imitation. As soon as the 2023 MAMA's livestream showcased Hyunsuk in his blond dreads, fans debated about the same, and many pointed out that it has apparently been a recurring issue with the idol.
Given that it can reportedly be disrespectful to the Black community and also allegedly misrepresent and fetishize their culture, fans and other netizens have been calling out the idol's problematic actions.
Fans divided as TREASURE's Hyunsuk garners attention for his alleged cultural appropriation at 2023 MAMA
On November 28, MAMA 2023 rolled out the first day of its two-day annual award ceremony, which was conducted and organized by Mnet. The award show, which is being held at Tokyo Dome in Japan, is one of the year-end ceremonies that K-pop fans have been eagerly waiting for. However, the first day itself already unfolded several intriguing events, spurring a mixed set of reactions from fans and netizens.
One of the events that took place, which left fans divided, was the hairstyle adorned by TREASURE's Hyunsuk. While fans were excited to welcome the group back on stage after their break following their recent comeback, Reboot, they were shocked by the idol appearing at the 2023 MAMA in blond dreads. As soon as fans came to know about the same, they immediately fired criticism at the idol for his alleged cultural appropriation.
Dreads refer to a braided hairstyle that is prevalent in the Black community, which is worn by people belonging to the same community in order to best protect their hair and prevent it from damage. Since these hairstyles carry cultural value and meaning, mere replication of the same in order to imitate the people of the community is often deemed as cultural appropriation.
Given that Hyunsuk's alleged imitation of the hairstyle is done in an effort to give off the supposed "hip-hop" aesthetic, which was majorly pioneered by people from the Black community, and did not respect or represent their culture, fans have been angered at the same.
However, there have also been people who defended the idol by stating that not all braids count as dreads and that the one that TREASURE's Hyunsuk was seen wearing was apparently not an act of cultural appropriation.
While debates about whether the idol's hairstyle was an act of cultural appropriation or not continue on social media, many agree that they were unhappy with his look in general. Fans felt that his natural black hair suited him much better, and while it is unclear whether his recent fashion choices are being made by him personally or recommended by his stylist, many stated the latest look on Hyunsuk is neither pleasing nor welcoming.
Regardless, despite being upset about the recent incident, fans celebrated TREASURE's great win as they bagged the award for Galaxy Neo Flip Artist at 2023 MAMA.
