BLINKs may be celebrating BLACKPINK's latest comeback after more than a year with How You Like That? but Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Rose's return also came with its fair share of controversy.
After BLACKPINK dropped their fierce MV for How You Like That? YG Entertainment was flooded by calls to apologize for using the image of the Hindu god Ganesha in one of the scenes of the music video, Koreaboo reported.
According to fans, YG Entertainment failed to consider Ganesha's role in the culture of the religion of Indians and Thais by putting it on the floor as a prop for one of Lisa's scenes.
In Indian culture, Ganesha is considered as one of the most important deities. He symbolizes wisdom, removal of obstacles, and is also considered a patron of the art and sciences.
He is similarly worshipped in Thailand as Phra Phikanesuan. He also considered a patron of fine arts. He is featured in the emblem of one of Thailand's leading art schools, Silapakorn University.
Indians believe that images of religious figures should always be placed on high surfaces as a symbol of respect, and never on the floor. In Lisa's scene in the MV, Ganesha can be spotted on the corner of the throne where the rapper was sitting on.
Some fans have trended #YGapologise to signify their displeasure over the agency's lapse and called for the removal of the scene from the MV altogether.
Before the controversy,BLACKPINK's make up artist Maeng was also accused of plagiarism by a small content creator, All Kpop reported,
Makeup artist Nushafarin uploaded her original makeup concept from February in a side by side comparison to Jennie's makeup in the teaser image for How You Like That?
The makeup artist said that she tried to reach out to YG Entertainment regarding her concern but to no avail.
In her post, Nushafarin thanked BLINKs who were very supportive and kind as she raised her voice over the issue of plagiarism. She also explained that for both Jennie and her makeup, the similarities were obvious. She pointed out the unique placement of the makeup under one eye, the unique flick in the inner and outer corner, and even the hot pink color of the original.
She said that she wanted to hold big companies accountable for messing up like this. However, she still had no luck in contacting YG. YG has also not responded to the MV criticisms about Ganesha's image.
