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Hwasa trolled for past racism as #AskHwasa trends, Internet asks which ethnicity she will 'offend' next

The Korean singer has apologized for her use of blackface in the past, but many are unwilling to forgive her actions which include using the n-word and appropriating Black and Brown fashion

Mamamoo's Hwasa has come under fire more than once after accusations of racism and cultural appropriation. But she probably could not have predicted that an #AskHwasa hashtag could have drawn out some of the worst Twitter drags in recent times.

Hwasa's most recent callout stemmed from her latest comeback with the track 'Maria', a song that delved into her own struggles with mental health and being on the receiving end of severe hate. A large section of the hate she receives is linked to the idol rarely conforming to what is typically expected of women in K-pop, particularly ones in girl groups.

Hwasa is an idol who isn't afraid to be herself. She embraces her skin and body, even though it doesn't fit neatly within traditional notions of what is considered 'ladylike' or 'beautiful' according to South Korean standards and prefers to pen songs about empowerment. But this often means the backlash is swift and severe anytime she puts out new content. The callout, this time, however, was linked to the singer's inclusion of Latin-themed elements in her song's lyrics and music.

And this links back to other instances of Hwasa being called out for cultural appropriation, the most recent being her wearing what appeared to be a traditional Nigerian outfit on the MBC show 'I Live Alone'. While MBC later clarified that the outfit was meant to be a glamorized version of the sauna outfits worn by South Koreans, particularly a style that Hwasa herself has worn before, many thought the outfit was far more similar to an African one than a Korean sauna look.

And it appears they still hold her accountable for it, largely owing to past instances of appropriation, such as wearing a durag. One tweet under the #AskHwasa hashtag read, "Where did you get ur African auntie outfit from?? My mom would like to know" while another asked, "Is mama Africa a good name for you?"

Others were soon reminding Hwasa once again of her past mistakes, including wearing blackface along with the rest of Mamamoo in a performance where they were parodying Bruno Mars. "Hey remember dressing up in blackface with the rest of Mamamoo," read one tweet. Another chose to call out an even older incident, one in which Hwasa used the n-word while covering a Beyoncé song.

The song itself did not originally contain the word, but the lyrics Hwasa was using were taken off the Melon website, which did. Hwasa, while covering the track, read the lyrics as is, leading to the gaffe. But that explanation was also not bought by many. One tweet asked, "What we feeling today -er or -a?"

Some, naturally, came to Hwasa's defense, pointing out that her, the rest of Mamamoo, as well as their label Rainbowbridge World (RBW), have all apologized or at the very least provided an explanation for their actions in the past. One fan shared a detailed card about it along with the message, "And if anybody wants to get brave about their past mistakes, here’s a link with receipts and explanations. Things not included aren’t included because they DIDN’T happen, stop believing lies told by edgy K-pop stans w/o any receipts."

The link includes the statements released on the group's behalf, most notably, their own apologies for their use of blackface which was released within four hours of the video going out. Others, despite agreeing that Hwasa was at fault, thought the questions were taking it too far. One user tweeted, "HELP I don’t like Hwasa but some of y’all going a little too far, some of y’all preach mental health but pick and choose who that applies too. Ngl I let out a couples laughs tho."

But what appears to be the root of people's unforgiving nature where Hwasa is concerned is that despite past apologies and promises to do better, the idol has continued to make mistakes in the form of cultural appropriation. And while her more recent missteps are nowhere near what she has done in the past, they still, nonetheless, fall in the realm of what many consider offensive.

And despite Hwasa's fans attempting to set the record straight through her own apologies and explanations, the hashtag continued to be used by many to troll the idol. One user asked, "Which culture did u enjoy appropriating the most," while another quipped, "Can we have a spoiler? Like who is the next ethnicity you’re going to offend?"

And from there, the jokes just continued, "Biggie or Tupac?" asked one user while another tweet read, "Dark skin or brown skin men?"

As more fans attempted to clear the hashtag and ask for others to be kind and consider the mental health of idols like Hwasa, some couldn't help but laugh at the questions being asked. One user shared, "HELP THE QUESTIONS FOR #AskHwasa I CANT," along with a screenshot of some of their favorites, another said, "THE TWEETS UNDER THIS HASHTAG ARE RUTHLESS AHAJAKXH," and one joked, "The gates of heaven are not opening for ANY of y’all."