Celebrities from across the world have been called out for cultural appropriation and hurting the sentiments of their fans from other ethnic groups. The latest celebrity to join the list is South Korean singer Lee Sun-mi, known by her stage name, Sunmi. 

The K-Pop singer shared a TikTok video of her and two dancers bobbing their heads and making hand gestures to a popular Indian song. 

While Sunmi herself just giggled and laughed, the background dancers are being called out for rolling their eyes and bobbing their heads in, for a lack of a better word, Apu fashion. Many fans on Twitter stood up for the singer and defended her, saying that the dancers were at fault, but the fact that this video was shared on social media is enough proof that it was considered appropriate. 

Though some did come to the singer’s defence, saying it’s just another song. Others pointed out, that in this day and age of the internet, understanding and remaining appropriate towards other cultures isn’t very hard. The singer could have researched a bit before jumping onto a TikTok trend. Soon after the incident blew up on Twitter, Sunmi posted an official apology acknowledging her ignorance.  

Even the background dancers in the video have shared their apologies pertaining to the incident. 

Seeing the apology, fans appreciated Sunmi’s effort but also encouraged her to educate herself and those around her about cultures. There is a thin line between enjoying other cultures, appreciating them and then making a mockery out of them, maybe it is time we start defining those lines better.