Chippendales upset Korean fans with 'racist' photo

A SNS photo of the Chippendales crew posted on Wednesday shows three members in the back row having half-closed eyes in a bid to mimic Asians. / Courtesy of online community

By Ko Dong-hwan

Erotic male dance troupe the Chippendales has copped flak over an allegedly racist photograph taken after their first show in Seoul on Wednesday.

Jeffrey Garrovillo, one of the nine dancers visiting Seoul this week, posted on SNS a photo of the crew after the show at Olympic Park in eastern Seoul.

At a glance, the photo shows the dancers smiling with “V” hand signs. But a closer look reveals three of the group in the back row had half-closed eyes. This is a gesture often used by Westerners as a fun way to mimic Asians. But it is regarded as racially offensive.

Garrovillo said along with the photo, “Being local.”

After the photo went public, it was spread online by upset netizens. They left comments that read: “Some of the performers may not know the racism embedded in the gesture but still this is an evident racial insult;” “There are African Americans among the crew. What were they thinking?” and “I just bought the ticket but I want to refund it.”

The Chippendales crew at a showcase held in Olympic Park in Seoul, Wednesday / Yonhap

The show’s Korean promoter said the gesture was not meant to cause harm.

“The dancers told us they didn’t intend to express any racial gesture,” the promoter said, according to eDaily, Thursday. “They were just very excited by Korean fans’ warm reception to the show and wanted to level their eyes with the fans.”

The troupe, established in 1979, has been touring some 100 cities worldwide, holding raunchy performances for women-only audiences.

Their Seoul shows, the first leg of a Northeast Asia tour, run until Aug 8.