Yesterday, Prince Charles was seen hanging in front of a wall that said: “British Asian Trust” along with his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Indian businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla. But, uh, Katy Perry was also there, and it turns out she was just appointed as the ambassador for the organization, which is not sitting well with Twitter right now.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Katy is not Asian, or British. Seriously, people are really having a hard time figuring out if Charles doesn’t know any British or Asian people and why she was chosen to be the first non-Asian ambassador to work to “reduce child trafficking and abuse in India” alongside the trust. It seems the only connection she has to Asia is singing about having “the eye of the tiger” and tigers live in Asia, according to one Twitter jokester.
Apparently, Charles appointed her because he met her in Mumbai last year and admired her “long-standing commitment to charitable causes around the world.” While doing charity work isn’t a bad thing, many are criticizing the move for it’s “white savior mentality” and are dragging Charles for choosing someone who doesn’t even represent the region. Also, this feels like salt in the wound for many because Katy was once named “pop music’s worst cultural appropriator” and once named a Hindu goddess, which remains on her Instagram feed.
Predictably, critics have taken to Twitter to drag Charles for this decision and Katy for choosing to accept the position:
As with everything, there are two sides to this and some have come to Katy’s defense. Nihal Arthanayake, a current ambassador for the organization, tweeted:
“Last night I asked @katyperry onstage in a Q&A how people had said to me that her being an Ambassador was a bit “random” She replied that she is passionate about combating the suffering of children and can do something about it. Amazing that she uses her platform.”
Another ambassador added, “Supporting those in need in South Asia isn’t just the job of British Asians. She cares. And so should you.”
