Katy Perry reportedly 'banned from China,' won't perform at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
First Gigi Hadid announced she won’t be walking in the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — and now Katy Perry is reportedly out, too.
Perry was set to perform at the show, filming live on Nov. 28 in Shanghai, but has officially been banned — not from the show, but from China. According to Page Six, Perry tried applying for a visa to enter China and was denied — this allegedly after being told she’d be able to access the country.
“The decision apparently was reversed after the government caught wind of a controversial incident from 2015, in which Perry wore a bright, glittery dress with sunflowers on it during a performance in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan,” the website states.
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The sunflower had been adopted in 2015 by anti-China protesters, so her dress caused widespread outrage. Perry also famously waved a Taiwanese flag during her performance, perhaps in show of solidarity with Taiwan (the country has been in conflict with China for decades).
Katy’s not alone. Chinese officials often analyze the social-media accounts and press reports of every artist who wants to perform in China, the website reports, to see if they’ve done anything deemed “offensive” to the country.
Justin Bieber was banned from performing in China earlier this year due to his “bad behaviour.” In 2008, Bjork was banned after demanding Tibetan independence during a performance in Shanghai. Maroon 5 was banned in 2015 after a band member tweeted the Dalai Lama “happy birthday.”
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I’m so bummed I won’t be able to make it to China this year. Love my VS family, and will be with all my girls in spirit!! Can't wait to tune in with everyone to see the beautiful show I know it will be, and already can't wait for next year! x
— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) November 16, 2017
As for Gigi Hadid, sources told Page Six that she was likely denied entry because of an Instagram video posted back in February, where she was seen holding up a tiny statue of Buddha while squinting her eyes. The clip was posted by her supermodel sister, Bella, but later deleted after people labelled her “racist.”
Other Victoria’s Secret’s models who have been denied entry to China include Julia Belyakova, Kate Grigorieva and Irina Sharipova.
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