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PHOTOS: Why Rihanna’s ‘Gangsta Goth Geisha’ Outfit Is Offensive

by Jada Wong | 5:47 pm, March 23rd, 2012

As much as I love Rihanna, her music, and her edgy style, I have a bone with pick about her latest TwitPic.

The superstar tweeted several photos while on the set of the music video with Chris Martin for “Princess of China.” The picture itself is de rigueur for the popstar — the barely-there outfit, fierce hair and makeup, and badass ‘tude. For those who haven’t heard the number, it’s a sad song about wanting a man, but not getting him — pretty much the same thing as her recent songs.

But it’s her caption, “Gangsta goth geisha #thuglife #princessofchina”, which raised my ire.

While I get the Asian reference from the song title (kind of a lame cop-out, if you ask me), mixing up the Asians has always been annoying. But being Chinese, I’ve heard all of the possible insults, puns, and mistaken identities, so this isn’t new to me.

Rihanna slipped up and associated China with geishas, which is actually a huge part of Japanese culture. Geishas are Japanese performing artists. Women dressed in elaborate kimonos and makeup to sing, dance, and play traditional instruments. On the other hand, there’s not an accurate Chinese equivalent for a geisha, unless you count a courtesan. Chinese courtesans are also performing artists, but do use their skills to seduce men for sex.

I get that the fashion industry is in love with all things Asian at the moment. There’s a huge push for brands to get a piece of the increasing Asian market and luxury companies are cashing in on wealthy, monogram-crazed women. Ralph Lauren brocade jackets, obi belts, and dragon prints for fall 2011, and even Taiwanese-born Jason Wu couldn’t help but take cues from his own background for fall 2012.

But whether she meant to really be a Japanese geisha or Chinese courtesan, the outfit itself is stereotype of Asian attire. The elaborate hair style complete with chopsticks and frog-clasp earrings seemed more appropriate for a South Park parody. What’s next, a conical hat and being driven in a rickshaw?

It’s also offensive because she’s been on the other side of a similar situation. In what was supposed to be a story praising Rihanna’s I-don’t-care-what-you-think-style, Dutch mag Jackie used a few choice words that insulted the singer’s ethnic roots. Rihanna penned a tweet tirade back to the editor and ultimately, the mag’s editor in chief apologized and stepped down.

So, if Rihanna was really dressing as a Japanese geisha, why is her song called “Princess of China”? Or if she was referring to a Chinese courtesan, why did she use “geisha”? And why is the song even called “Princess of China”? Check out the slideshow below and see the pictures for yourself. What do you think?




  • Mkeh68

    You are upset over another person’s ignorance! She obviously has no clue that Geisha’s are not Chinese! It’s saddens me that you think that because a person is famous, that means they are intelligent. DUMB PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE! So, I say stop the hissy fit over being insulted and feel bad for her instead. 

  • cdr

    Slow day at the office? This is not a huge deal, sorry.

  • Marie

    I think you are overreacting immensely. I’m also Asian so I get where you’re coming from but don’t see her attire as a blatant attempt to be racist. Getting geisha’s wrongly associated with Chinese culture was a mistake but a common one but I doubt she did it to deliberately be offensive. But since you’re Chinese I gather that your anger is more centered at China vs. Japan association. I also don’t think it’s entirely fair to equate her outfit with the use of the “N” word. If she had put tape on her eyelids coupled with a tweet using a racial epithet for Asian people then I’d see the outrage. As for the song… it’s actually Coldplay’s song so you should channel your racial disgruntlement towards them for choosing the title. 

  • Annie

    God this phoney PC crap is so old and boring now. Everybody has to find anything they can be supposedly offended by on the internet and comment HOW BAD IT IS, give me a break. Sorry it’s called entertainment and just a music video, get over it.

    Go back to watching REALITY TV and just stay off the internet, just shoot it in your fat pie-hole and relax on the sofa, please just forget that you can comment on everything on the internet at ‘work’.

    Worry about who the next President in the USA is going to be………………..

  • Sdivya

    Ok Annie dearest you are quite the insensitive person and  do not  realize how offensive and insulting this is to an Asian person. Just because you can hide behind the walls of the internet doesn’t mean you get all nasty. I take offense to our artists being insensitive and stupid about other cultures. Do other cultures club Americans with Canadians? So then why especially when the languages, history and COUNTRIES are different. 

  • Sdivya

    I seriously despise people like you who have nothing but vitriolic speech for others. The president issue is just as important as your sensitivity to other cultures. 

  • belledeparadis

    Rihanna is a very pretty girl with a nice voice and excellent business managers. That does not mean that she herself is particularly brilliant. A gaffe is a gaffe. 

  • Amusawale

    Much ado about nothing. the song is Coldplay’s; ask them why its called Princess of China. and what exactly is the insult here? she said Chinese, Goth, Geisha – its her own mash up of style. she never said its the same thing did she?

  • Anonymous

    She’s not the sharpest tool in the toolbox.  The outfit is ridiculous, but it’s all meaningless, really.

    Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.  This isn’t deep so don’t treat it as such.  Just another badly dressed, poorly spoken ‘celebrity’. 

  • Jennifer Egenberger

    As a person of German and Scottish descent (read: white girl), I have to admit that I have difficulty identifying the exact ethnic background of pretty much everyone, and here’s why: in a world that finds people of increasingly mixed ethnicity, there is almost no way to determine a person’s ethnic background. And also, who cares? Yeah, she mixed up what country geisha are from. She is neither historian nor anthropologist, she also isn’t in charge of that song’s title or the styling for the video. She’s a pop star. Cut her, and the rest of us, some slack, please. Also, I don’t know any other white folks who get bent out of shape when someone accuses them of being from the wrong European country.

  • Bikerk

    sorry, doesn’t bother me.

  • http://twitter.com/LadySheamus Lady Sheamus

     Typical. There are so many like you.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002670459646 Nicole Stacy

    I think this is a bit bent out of shape. I mean the tags were probably referring more to the fashion then to the video clip itself the reason chinese princess would have been used in the same tag line would be because of the name of the song and because the dress is (very loosley I might add) geisha-esk. I think people are trying to live in a PC world concentrated solely on never hearting peoples feelings. I understand there has been a lot of tension between china and japan and this may be a reason to take offense at it but get over it. If an american had a go because they were classed in the same sentence as canada in a cultural sense they would be told to get over it too. So just get over it. The world is so sensitive these days and so set on everyone stepping on eggshells for everyone else. 

  • Coronalsuture

    Hell yeah Annie! I’m so tired of everyone taking offense to every little thing! AND she never said that Geisha were Chinese, just that she drew inspiration from Geisha for that outfit (she also was inspired by gangsta and goth but you don’t see anyone saying that she’s claiming that Chinese people are gangsta or goth. People need to take a deep breath and relax.

  • Crawfishmc

    A non-story. Rihanna looks fabulous as usual except for the funky nails.

  • Tony

    once again Styleite overreacting….

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/GJGRPAL375VWOOJA3JFQQGKXOQ I

    You are completely correct. This is not only ignorant, bu hypocritical considering her reactions to both the Dutch magazine and some other racist incidents she’s reported. Unfortunately, this kind of ignorance (especially of Asian cultures) is widespread. And as you can see from the comments, people will hold on to it for dear life.

    As an African-American, I appreciate your perspective on this. Please continue writing about these issues.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/3B33GMR64FVXKECCX7EF5L7P7Q .:Goin hard:.

    1. princess in china is not her song she’s just featured in it

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    Chinese courtesans are also performing artists, but do use their skills to seduce men for sex. 

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  • guest

    I don’t think her saying that is so bad. The whole this though, makes no sense whosoever. Neither Coldplay nor Rihanna are Chinese. So WHY the hell is the song called princess of china? Nowhere in the song to they mention China. The music video has a very Asian theme, but i saw mostly indian/japanese stuff. I guess China is the most widely known Asian country, so they used that to name the video, although I’m still confused about what asia has to do with this song in any way. THAT strikes me as racist. I heard somewhere that it’s referencing delicate girls. I DON’T THINK SO a) rhianna is not delicate. b) if they show the martial artists in the video, then u might as well mention the female martial artists in china. I think the whole concept of the song is racist and nonsensical. 

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  • Michael Jones

    Or…feel bad for the director of the music video, the writers of the song, and Coldplay who’s album the song belongs to. Rihanna is just a feature on the song.

    Not to mention that she never says geishas are Chinese. Her tweet says “Gangsta goth geisha” and has a hashtag for the name of the song. Saying she thought geishas were Chinese would be like saying she thinks goths, or gangsters are Chinese.

  • mrjekyll09

    Yes, and kilts are English. I mean, Scotland is part of England, isn’t it? Mind you, I am “neither historian nor anthropologist.”

  • NYCgirl

    I don’t really think that she’s being racist or anything, i think she’s just ignorant. I just dont really get why the song is named Princess Of China in the first place. China has nothing to do with the song o.O

  • mar

    China the material not the country!! hellooo

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