It’s 2021, and people still can’t wrap their heads around about when and when not to use the N-word. Giselle of K-pop group aespa is learning this the hard way as she was spotted lip-syncing the racial slur, and Twitter is gathering but also educating her on the misstep.
The video in question was uploaded to aespa’s Youtube (it was reportedly a behind the scenes clip of the making of the song “Savage”), and then removed. In the clip the group is singing SZA’s “Love Galore” and Giselle clearly emphasized the n-word while she was getting her karaoke on. See it below, this is the Internet, where nothing gets wiped once it’s out there.
Did Giselle know that lip-syncing the word, and passionately at that, was a no-no? The receipts are saying she did thanks to her self-editing in prior examples. And there’s the fact that she’s reportedly fluent in English.
Here’s a really easy guide. If you use the n-word as a term of endearment and are Black (even via the archaic one-drop rule), you’re good. Although to be fair, many feel no one should use it all. But, if you are not Black, leave it alone.
That’s not too difficult to understand, right?
Expect a formal, expertly-crafted apology sooner than later. But for now, peep some of the reactions to Giselle’s fail, and hopefully teachable moment, below.