Beyoncé Sparks Cultural Appropriation Outrage in New Coldplay 'Hymn For The Weekend' Video
Your favorite diva is back in the hot seat. Beyoncé has come under fire after fans got a glimpse of her in the new Coldplay, "Hymn for the Weekend" music video. The internet is swarming with accusations that Beyoncé is engaging in cultural appropriation with the donning of some traditional Indian garbs, specifically a sari. This, along with other aspects of the video is sparking some serious debate and outrage on cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation.
Dressed like a Bollywood star, Beyoncé sings along with the "Princess of China" British rock band, Coldplay. The video depicts lead singer, Chris Martin, traveling throughout various parts of India where he is surrounded by peacocks, children covered in paint and holy men blowing colored powder in the air as they play Holi in the streets, very reminiscent of the India shown Iggy Azalea's "Bounce" or Diplo's video "Lean On."
Teen Vogue assessed the video as, "It's a white person's fever dream of what India looks like. I imagined a million wide-eyed white people watching this video, chorusing 'Wow, India is so colorful.' The video is full of fire-breathers and fireworks, brown hands clasped in prayer over lamps, and slum children dancing joyously because they are rich in spirit. It's all camp and chaos, a kaleidoscope of whirling parts that never add up to an accurate whole."
Beyoncé, while stunning in the video, she has also sparked outrage because she is seen wearing a traditional headscarf called a sari. This is problematic because a sari is supposed to represent a woman's level of humility and Beyoncé is wearing it along with a cleavage filled camera shot.
"Hymn for the Weekend" is the first single from the Coldplay "A Head Full of Dreams" album released in December. Fans can likely expect to see more of the sounds and styles from "Hymn for the Weekend" video when Beyoncé and Coldplay perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday at 6:30pm on CBS.
Check out the video below and let us know whether you think the duo is appropriating or appreciating culture.