The Guardian Thinks Stereotypes of East Asian Men Contributed to “Gangnam Style’s” Success

Recently, the Guardian published a critical piece on “Gangnam Style” and its recent success, arguing the attention from Western viewers is largely stemming from funny stereotypes of East Asian men.

The column written on September 24 by Arwa Mahdawi says, “Essentially, it is just an over-the-top video where a fat man does a comical dance and sings repetitive lyrics that don’t make sense to most of us,” and “Gangnam Style’s lyrics may be in Korean, but its visuals are in clear American.”

It goes on to raise stereotypes of fat East Asian men in the Western world (i.e. Kim Jong-il in the film Team America) and says, “It’s hard to escape the uncomfortable feeling that this stereotype is contributing something to the laughter around Gangnam Style.”

It’s hard to say what exactly is making “Gangnam Style” so popular around the world, but the Guardian does bring up a valid point and it’s definitely something to think about. You can read the full article here!