Katy Perry @ the American Music Awards, "perpetuating harmful stereotypes of Asian women?" [View all]

[Miles Archer]

Causing a controversy: Singer Katy Perry, wearing a kimono, performs onstage during the 2013 American Music Awards on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles.

While it’s not the first time Katy Perry has donned a kimono in public, many viewers felt the pop star’s geisha-inspired performance of “Unconditionally” at the American Music Awards Sunday night was culturally insensitive.

Against a lavish backdrop of floating lotus blossoms and a Shinto shrine, Perry, 29, performed the ceremony’s opening act in powdery white makeup and a cleavage-baring kimono. Fan-wielding dancers fluttered across the stage, as some glided through the air with colorful umbrellas.

The number triggered a flurry of tweets from viewers, many of whom accused Perry of appropriating Japanese culture and perpetuating harmful stereotypes of Asian women.

http://www.today.com/style/katy-perrys-geisha-inspired-amas-performance-stirs-controversy-2D11650791