Would you consider this an act of racism?
Blackpink’s Jennie, 28, was at Paris Fashion Week as an ambassador for luxury brand Chanel and she wowed her fans with her brand new blonde look.
Now, an exchange caught between Jennie and American actress Margaret Qualley, 29, at the show has come under scrutiny.
In a video shared on X, the two stars are seen hugging. Margaret then reaches out to touch Jennie’s hair before asking: “Is your hair real?”
Jennie then tells Margaret it’s not, to which Margaret replied: “It looks real.”
Jennie then says with a smile on her face: “It does.”
The short clip has angered netizens, with many accusing Margaret of being racist.
They believed it was wrong of Margaret to ask a person of Asian ethnicity about the authenticity of their hair, especially since there are very few East Asians who are naturally blonde.
“Does it make white people feel better to know if the hair of a person from another race hair is real?” questioned one netizen. Another wrote: “Do not touch the hair and do not ask if it’s real. This is none of your business.”
Others also disliked how Margaret causally “invaded Jennie’s personal space without permission”.