The problem with using Anok Yai to defend Tarzzan
There’s been a TikTok circulating recently involving Anok Yai and Tarzzan that has sparked a lot of conversation, and I genuinely wanted to know how people here feel about it.
Because what’s frustrating me is seeing non-Black fans use this interaction as some kind of “gotcha” moment to prove Tarzzan cannot possibly be anti-Black or racist. Those comments are getting tens of thousands of likes and it honestly says a lot about how shallow people’s understanding of racism and cultural appropriation still is.
My issue with Tarzzan was never about whether he is capable of standing next to a Black woman, smiling at a Black woman, or admiring Black culture aesthetically. That has never been the point. The issue is the repeated pattern of disrespect toward Black culture and Black people through actions that people have already explained are offensive and harmful.
And honestly, I feel like people brush over his offences way too easily. I am genuinely disgusted by him and the things he has done. At this point, he is far beyond me hoping for an apology or some statement to “clear things up.” When someone repeatedly engages in behaviour like wearing braids, using the n-word, and constantly performing this caricature of Blackness despite being told over and over again why it is offensive, it stops feeling like ignorance and starts reflecting a genuine lack of respect or care.
There is this pattern in kpop where certain idols treat Black culture like an accessory to put on whenever they want to appear edgy, hip hop, or “hard,” while completely disregarding the people behind that culture. And Tarzzan embodies that mentality to me. It feels incredibly performative and deeply uncomfortable to watch.
That’s why this discourse frustrates me so much. Because people reduce anti-Blackness to this childish idea of “well he interacted with a Black woman positively so how can he be racist?” as if anti-Blackness cannot coexist with admiration, attraction, consumption of Black culture, or proximity to Black people. History has shown us countless times that it absolutely can.
And honestly, I say this as someone who had every reason to want to support this group otherwise. I’ve liked Woochan since OGZSCHOOL. I’ve followed Bailey since before I even knew what kpop was as a young teen. I rooted for Youngseo after she left ILLIT. But Tarzzan’s presence alone completely put me off wanting anything to do with the group from the beginning, and not a single day has passed where I regretted distancing myself.
I’d really like to hear people’s thoughts on this because I think the wider conversation being had here is much bigger than one TikTok clip.