Sorn's now-deleted Squid Game TikTok faces flak from netizens for alleged colorism

With fame come controversies and TikTok trends. And Netflix’s latest hit, Squid Game, is no stranger to either. The fan-favorite show has given rise to several trends, but the latest one seems to have landed Sorn, a Thai TikTok star, into trouble.

Squid Game’s rise to fame has been commendable, with the Korean show quickly establishing its place as Netflix’s most-watched show of all time. The show broke language, culture, and even color barriers, with one of the major characters being a Pakistani immigrant, Ali. While the show’s popularity is still increasing, a certain seemingly innocuous TikTok trend may see the downfall of a particular TikTok star.

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Sorn received backlash for Squid Game TikTok

Sorn, who is also part of the South Korean K-Pop group CLC, apart from being a TikTok sensation, is receiving backlash due to her TikTok video. In the video, made in collaboration with a skincare brand Wishtrend, the singer recommends beauty products for each character based on her opinion.

Thus, the protagonist Gi Hun gets a superior makeup product, while Han Min Yeo gets only the Vitamin C serum minus the sunscreen. The old man Il Nam is deemed worthy of only a cotton pad, while the Deok Su is similarly given a notoriously bad serum. Of course, for Gong Yoo’s character, and the fan favourite North Korean defector, Squid Game’s Kang Sae Byeok, Sorn saves the best- herself.

The K-Pop star has come under fire for her choice of products for Ali, played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi. Sorn offers him many more products than the others, apparently because he is her favorite. Several people appeared to think the reason was his skin tone. As the character is Pakistani and is being played by an Indian man, he naturally is darker than the rest. Thus, the excessive amount of skincare offered to Anupam Tripathi’s character seemed suspect for several viewers.

The post received many negative comments, resulting in Wishtrend making it private, with the comment section no longer accessible. Before taking down the post, though, Wishtrend posted a comment in defence of the maker of the Tik Tok, Sorn. According to Wishtrend, the reason Squid Game’s Ali gets lots of products is that they “love” the character, compared to just a single cotton pad for old man character Oh Il-nam, who turns out to be the dastardly mastermind of the deadly games in the show.

Despite the defense, the video rubbed several viewers the wrong way. Sorn’s body language, too, according to some people, was one of disgust and pity. While the intention was one of love and admiration, the message seems to have been lost during the execution, and what was received was a racist TikTok video.

Additionally, several viewers claimed that some of the skincare products Sorn offered Anupam Tripathi’s character were skin lightening products and contained bleach. Several others, though, quickly debunked this claim.

However, Sorn’s video has also found several defenders who insist that it was taken out of context. Many have also accused others of blowing this particular Squid Game controversy out of proportion.

While the Internet can’t seem to agree, this incident is certainly a case study on how things can be lost in execution, regardless of the initial intentions.

Team Wishtrend, the brand in charge of the TikTok video, issued an apology from their Twitter handle, saying

However, the Squid Games controversy serves as a timely reminder of South Korea and East Asia’s turbulent attitude towards color.