Hong Kong Subway Stations Display ‘Blackface’ Ad Portraying ‘Confused Face’ Meme
Images via Know Your Meme and WeWa
A meme-inspired credit card campaign that will likely be frowned upon in many parts of the world is getting positive responses by locals in its place of origin, Hong Kong.
As spotted by Asia-centered news site Coconuts on buses and in prime Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations, the WeWa advert sees Thai online influencer Anucha “Cha” Saengchart—famously known as Lowcostcosplay—dressed as African-American NBA star Nick Young to recreate the viral ‘Confused Nick Young’ or ‘Confused Face’ meme.
The poster is accompanied by question marks, similar to the original aesthetic, along with the text, “What?! Promotions all year round.”
Saengchart also reprised other personas of internet fame for the campaign, like the ‘Great Gatsby Reaction’ image of Leonardo DiCaprio holding up a martini glass, the Hotline Bling meme of Drake, and the ‘Surprised Koala’ photo.
In the cosplayer’s defense, it appears that he hadn’t used darker makeup to mimic the skin of a Black man for the ad. The complexion change seemed to have been done post-production, Coconuts noted from the looks of PrimeCredit’s behind-the-scenes footage.
The general reception toward the campaign seems positive, if not for a few complaints on social media, which may come as a surprise to multicultural audiences. “That level of racial sensitivity has not quite reached Hong Kong,” the publication shared. “There is little awareness around the discrimination that dark-skinned minorities face in the city.”
In a popular Facebook group for expats, however, as well as on Twitter, social media users have accused the brand of being tone-deaf and portraying blackface.
This WeWa card ad in Central #HongKong is blackface. pic.twitter.com/sHA10jcEQz
— Jennifer Creery 紀寳瑩 (@creery_j) October 10, 2020
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[via Coconuts, images via various sources]
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