BLACKPINK Member Faces Social Media Ban
The K-pop star's account was suspended on Wednesday.
Lisa of Blackpink's Weibo account (the equivalent of Twitter in China) has been suspended after her Crazy Horse Paris performance sparked controversy. CNN reports Lisa's Weibo page has been inaccessible since November 1. It is reported that the singer was suspended just a few weeks after she appeared at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris, which triggered a major debate on how closely regulated China's internet is, according to the news outlet.
In place of the Thai K-pop idol's previously verified @lalalalisa_m account, the page now reads: "The account can longer be viewed because it has received complaints of breaches of law and regulations, as well as relevant rules from the Weibo Community Management Regulations."
There is no information available as to what complaints were made against Lisa's Weibo account before it was suspended. The Weibo accounts of her fellow Blackpink members Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo are still accessible. Hong Kong actress Angelababy, whose real name is Angela Yeung, has also been banned from posting on Weibo because of "violations of relevant laws and regulations."
In a statement to Yonhap News Agency, YG Entertainment stated that it could not comment on the situation due to ongoing negotiations with Lisa, during which a possible contract renewal is being discussed. Chinese entertainment sites and Weibo users speculated that the pair had been censored after reports emerged late in September that Angelababy had attended a burlesque show by Lisa at Crazy Horse.
Lisa "set the Crazy Horse Paris stage alight on September 28, 29, and 30, 2023, with five exclusive performances that left an indelible impression on both the audience and her fans all over the world", the venue's website said. She posted photos of herself in cabaret attire on her Instagram account in October, remarking: "Such an amazing experience at [Crazy Horse] … Call me whenever you need someone to fill a spot."
It is not uncommon for Chinese censors to block media content that they determine to be politically sensitive or contrary to the ruling Communist Party's socially conservative values, with stars having been targeted in the past for their tattoos and "effeminate" fashion choices. A notice blocking the two stars came out after President Xi Jinping called on women to participate in "promoting traditional Chinese virtues and sound family values."
There have been complaints from Weibo users that censorship has gone beyond what is appropriate, sharing screenshots from state-run media reports from 2012, the year Xi came to power, that praise the Crazy Horse cabaret for promoting Parisian fashion designers and artists.
"There's nothing to say at all about this. If this issue came up in the 2000s, who would care, let alone block you?" wrote one Weibo user. "Now the level of social tolerance in our country is lower than low," they complained. Others, however, supported Lisa's blocking, condemning her revealing outfits as inappropriate. "There's a cultural difference between China and other countries," another Weibo user wrote. "When my sister said she wanted to see Crazy Horse I wanted to strangle her," they added.
A number of brands have also allegedly removed images of Lisa from their social media accounts in China, according to South Korean news outlet TV Report. Among them are purported to be luxury fashion houses Bulgari and CELINE.
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