Fashion model and host Georgina Wilson received online backlash for her Instagram post, where she, her sister and her cousin were wearing Communist party souvenir hats while posing in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Netizens called her out for not being aware of the country’s history and being “culturally insensitive.”
According to an Inquirer report, like regular tourists, Wilson and her companions purchased the usual souvenir items in Beijing: the hat with the red star and cheongsams. As they were going around the tourist areas, they wore the hats as part of their outfit of the day.
Georgina Wilson Gets A Lesson In Cultural Appropriation
Wilson posted several photos on Instagram, showing her, sister Jessica and cousin Martine in the red hats while posing in Tiananmen Square. She captioned it: “Please forgive the inappropriate merch that we acquired from a vendor at Tiananmen Square.” While their photos may seem to be regular tourist photos, netizens called them out for cultural appropriation.
Some netizens called the posts insensitive because they were parading around, wearing something inappropriate in the exact spot where pro-democracy protesters died during the Tiananmen Square massacre. Other netizens were even telling them to delete the post because of this.
Others reacted to the way Wilson and her companions “made light” of what they were doing. Wilson herself admitted that they were the “worst tourists” because they were getting “weird looks” from other people while they were going around.
Different Reactions From Netizens
According to PEP.ph, the model has since deleted the post which got the most negative reactions. This was after she initially blocked others from commenting on the said post. Her other posts which showed her wearing the same hat but in other parts of Beijing are still in her account.
Before she took it down, other netizens came to her defense. One user said that he was Chinese and was not offended. He also said that it was the Chinese selling the merchandise in question so they “don’t mind.” Yet another said that Wilson should not be criticized for the photo, saying “Let’s be mad if they openly supported the massacre itself.”
Wilson has yet to speak up about this controversy she has found herself in.