Paparazzi photographers camped out on the red carpet of the Met Gala have been slammed for their treatment of K-pop boy band Stray Kids.
During the glitzy event, that took place on Monday, the eight-member boyband lined up for the camera while a photographer can be heard shouting: “I’ve never seen so many unemotional faces in my life” and another brands them “robots.”
Just saw this video of stray kids at the Met Gala and the level of disrespect from the paparazzi is actually crazy😤. The paparazzi out here acting like the group doesn’t understand english and proceeds to be racist. I hope skz had fun though 💃 pic.twitter.com/POnzuRz5Ao
— the official kpop waltz (@KpopWaltz) May 7, 2024
A photographer can be heard sarcastically saying: “All right guys, tone it down. Tone it down,” as he attempts to get a different facial expression out of the band. Then the band takes off the black clothing they had been wearing and the photographers collectively groan upon realizing they had to keep shooting the band. “Now, let’s do it with feeling,” one of the lensmen ironically shouts.
Amid the muffled voices coming from female and male photographers, one can be heard declaring that he “hates them” and another shouts: “How do you say ‘right’ in Korean?”
Fans of the band were left unimpressed by the photographers’ banter calling it out for being “racist”, “ignorant”, and “uncultured.”
“I’m actually disgusted by how Stray Kids were treated in the Met Gala, because what the hell is that,” writes Jein Park on X (formerly Twitter). “The comments the photographers were making are so rude and disrespectful.”
This racism and disrespect is disgusting but unfortunately not surprising. The reason many of us who cover K-pop are fiercely protective of these artists is because this happens at most American red carpet and events. They deserve so much better. #MetGala @voguemagazine https://t.co/pYPP5fzzCn
— emilykmm (@emilykmm) May 6, 2024
Another writes: “Every video I see the more rage I get. The racism, the unprofessionalism, who hired them??? I hope they are fired.”
It comes less than a month after Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham scolded a photographer who asked her to “show leg” during a red carpet event in London.