A TV ad featuring members of K-pop girl band Blackpink dressed in miniskirts has been banned by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission.
READ MORE:BLACKPINK Becomes First Female K-pop Group to Hit Billboard Hot 100 at No. 55
The watchdog ordered 11 domestic TV stations to remove the commercial, promoting Shopee, a major online retailer in Southeast Asia, on 11 December over indecency.
The behind-the-scenes making of #BLACKPINKxShopee~~
— Shopee Singapore (@ShopeeSG) 7 December 2018
Thank you BLACKPINK for being so wonderful to work with 🙏🏼#Shopee1212BirthdaySale #ShopeeSG1212 pic.twitter.com/JVJhPlnVzg
“Companies need to be careful when they’re making a commercial that they don’t associate their product with something Indonesians see as negative”, commission head said on Tuesday.
Shopee described the watchdog’s remarks as “very valuable input”, at the same time stressing that the commercial was given the green light by another government agency before hitting the airwaves.
READ MORE: K-Pop Boy Band's Label Apologises Over Atomic Bomb Shirt, Nazi Controversy
The commission’s decision was triggered by a petition signed by over 100,000 people, which, in turn, sparked a furious backlash from fans on social media, who didn’t consider the ad vulgar:
In another episode of men cant do shit without oppressing women: blackpink shopee ads are banned
— olive (@euphorijoon) 11 December 2018
Just wow
KPI (the agency that decides what plays on your tv) just banned blackpink's shoppee ads and i'm??? they said that their clothes and style is inappropriate and goes against indonesia's morals. what the fuck what the fuck pic.twitter.com/23nGuOSHi7
— rezika ♡ GRAMMY NOMINATION (@epiloguejoonie) 11 December 2018
lol so the indonesian government banned blackpink’s shopee ad in indonesia bc apparently the clothes they wore are ‘too’ revealing pic.twitter.com/6MaL9AO1eC
— 앤 (@jellyaceanne) 11 December 2018
indonesia rly banned the blackpink shopee ad hhh our country wildin
— sabrina (@neocultic) 12 December 2018
🇨🇦: legalized recreational marijuana
— Teuku Rizky Noviandy (@rxdzxx_) 11 December 2018
🇸🇦: first female news anchor
🇮🇩: blackpink ads banned
blackpink shopee ad being banned in indonesia is stupid as fuck
— kayennn🦄 (@kayyxo_noona) 11 December 2018
Blackpink debuted only two years ago but has already gone down in history as the first female K-pop band to have hit the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 55.