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Indonesian fans upset over axing of Blackpink's TV advertisement

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Straits Times - December 13, 2018

Jakarta – One upset fan said the fashion choice was not vulgar and that anyone could see women dressed in mini-skirts at any shopping mall in Indonesia.

The backlash erupted after 11 TV stations were ordered late on Tuesday (Dec 11) to yank out a TV advertisement featuring members of K-pop group Blackpink in mini-skirts.

The order came from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission in response to a petition signed by more than 100,000 people. The advertisement features the Korean quartet singing and dancing to promote Shopee, an online retailer.

"Companies need to be careful when they're making a commercial that they don't associate their product with something Indonesians see as negative," commission head Hardly Stefano said.

Shopee called the commission's remarks "valuable input" but noted that the commercial had been greenlit by another government agency prior to its airing, Agence France-Presse reported.

The commission's warning came in the wake of a Change.org online petition initiated by Ms Maimon Herawati, a mother who deemed that the skirts, tops and dresses worn by the Korean group were too skimpy.

But her call has also sparked others to launch counter petitions. One, filed by a Blackpink fan, called for the advertisement to continue airing. "Open your mind. Be smart, people," she said.

Blackpink, which have collaborated with British singer Dua Lipa, were appointed Shopee's first regional ambassador last month. They starred in a Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale commercial that featured a customised version of their hit single Ddu-Du Ddu-du.

The advertisement has drawn more than 28 million views on YouTube since its launch.

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/indonesian-fans-upset-over-axing-of-blackpinks-tv-advertisement

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