Ariana Grande took to Twitter this week to write a now deleted thread addressing people who think her new tattoo written in Japanese kanji is cultural appropriation.
If you’re unfamiliar with this story, here’s a quick recap: It all unfolded last week, when Grande posted a picture of some new hand ink she received to commemorate her song “7 Rings.” However, social media users quickly pointed out that while the tattoo intended to say “7 Rings,” it actually read shichirin, or “small Japanese barbecue grill.” Grande took the incident in stride, admitting she left off a symbol because it was too painful to finish. “It hurt like fuck n still looks tight. I wouldn’t have lasted one more symbol lmao,” she wrote at the time.
She then attempted to fix the ink but it still didn’t read 100 percent correctly.
For some, this incident was more than just a funny faux pas. Several social media users alleged Grande’s tattoo is a form of cultural appropriation, and a few also said the Japanese writing on her website merchandise was insensitive.
But in a series of now deleted tweets, Grande responded to users who called her out. “I can’t read or write kanji obviously,” she tweeted to a person who urged her to apologize, saying that she has “many a time.” “What do you want me to do? It was done out of love and appreciation. What do you want me to say?”
She continued, “U kno how many people make this mistake and DON’T care just cause they like how it looks? Bruh… I care sooooo much. What would u like me to do or say? Forreal. There is a difference between appropriation and appreciation. My Japanese fans were always excited when I wrote in Japanese or wore Japanese sayings on my clothing. However, all of the merch with Japanese on it was taken down from my site not that anyone cared to notice.”
In a final note before she deleted the tweets, Grande suggested the situation was affecting her anxiety. “I have crippling anxiety lol. I don’t like hurtin ppl,” she wrote. “People on this app really don’t know how to be forgiving or gentle when someone has made an innocent mistake. No one considers feelings other than their own. It’s very pointless. Ion [I don’t] even know why I’m talking ab[out] this anymore.”
This was a much lengthier response than what Ariana Grande gave to TMZ after the website reported she was offered a $1.5 million deal to remove her tattoo. “I’ll give y’all a million to get off my nuts,” she wrote.
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