Jump to content
OneHallyu Will Be Closing End Of 2023 ×
OneHallyu

China’s ‘Kim Kardashian’ Sparks Controversy as Dior’s New Brand Ambassador

everypart

Recommended Posts

everypart Superstar

everypart

11,409
Posted
Posted

agelababy-1240x803.jpg

 

Parisian fashion powerhouse Christian Dior is being harshly criticized on social media for its appointment of Chinese actress Yang Ying, aka Angelababy, as its first brand ambassador in China. Yang, who has been called the “Kim Kardashian of China†(and spent $31 million on her wedding—more than Kardashian spent on hers), said in a video that Dior is her “favorite brand.â€

 

Almost immediately upon publication on Dior’s official Weibo and WeChat accounts on April 28, the news exploded on China’s social media. By the time of this publication, the number of comments under the original Weibo post topped 50,000 (and it’s been reposted more than 750,000 times), dwarfing Dior’s average Weibo engagement.

 

“Shocking!†wrote “William sabixi†on Weibo. “Why did Dior decide to destroy its high-end public image?â€

 

Another commenter, “BETTERemma,†wrote: “Does Dior really believe Angelababy can boost its sales? The brand should really do more market research when making decisions like this one.â€

 

The Controversy Stems from Claims of Plastic Surgery

 

The discontent by the Chinese online community with Yang’s new role at Dior stems in part from the controversy surrounding reports that she had had plastic surgery.

 

In 2012, Ruili, a beauty clinic in Beijing, published an article on its website claiming Yang had had plastic surgery. Yang sued the clinic for defamation and the case dragged on in court for several years, resulting in a bizarre public examination of the actress’s face at a plastic surgery hospital in Beijing. The hospital’s chief claimed her looks were authentic, saying, according to the BBC, “Baby’s entire head and facial bones do not have any signs of incisions.â€

 

Critics also contend that Yang, who rose to fame in 2014 on the reality television show Hurry Up, Brother and who started a venture capital fund (AB Capital) for investments in women’s lifestyle start-ups, pales in comparison to the brand’s roster of previous international ambassadors, including A-list Hollywood celebrities Charlize Theron and Natalie Portman.

 

Dior-and-Liu.jpg

Dior has worked closely with another Chinese address Liu Yifei in the past, which has aroused the curiosity among Chinese people why Liu was not chosen as the brand’s ambassador.

 

Some consumers have even pledged to stop purchasing Dior products as a result of  Yang’s appointment.

“It’s time for me to say goodbye to the brand that I’ve loved for more than 10 years,†said one commenter.

 

The Brand’s Response, or Lack Thereof

 

So far, the brand has been mum over the fierce reactions online and Dior representatives have not responded to a request for comment from this site. Since that initial announcement, there have also been no further posts about Yang on the official account, which has featured instead several commercials with the supermodel Bella Hadid.

 

The hubbub is similar to one experienced years ago by another French luxury brand, Chanel, when it appointed Hong Kong-born American singer Coco Lee as its regional ambassador. Consumers in Hong Kong at the time thought Lee’s public image was too disgraceful to represent the brand. The furor caused Chanel to finally end its relationship with Lee. Swiss watchmaker Jaeger LeCoultre’s recent collaboration with sensational online blogger Papi Jiang met with similar criticism.

 

But other collaborations of this kind have fared better with young Chinese audiences. Burberry’s collaboration with Chinese-born Canadian actor Kris Wu was popular as was singer Luhan as the face of Cartier.

 

The announcement of the arrangement with Yang came just days after luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessey bought out minority shareholders at Christian Dior for $13 billion.

 

-----------

 

Meh, I think it's the fans of other actresses who are complaining (like Liu Yifei fans) lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
everypart Superstar

everypart

11,409
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wait who?

 

edit:Like seriously i'll go search her up

Angelababy.

 

Hmm im curious as to made her the kim k 2.0?

I first saw her getting called Kim Kardashian when she had her very luxurious wedding that they spent over $30 million for. Article here. And I guess the label stuck because she's being called that everywhere.

 

I think that they just wanted to compare the level of fame? But in a way, they're similar in that they don't really have representative work outside of their job as reality tv stars. And they're both accused of plastic surgery. They're the 'famous for being famous' type of celebrity, the types who are big on social media.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
waycrispy1 Superstar

waycrispy1

3,434
Posted
Posted

It's just a bunch of AB antis, nothing new. They are probably even paid by fans of her rivals or other companies, you know how it works in the Chinese entertainment industry. I doubt anyone is so up in arms, because of plastic surgery. This entire article that was translated might even be paid for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cookjohnfood Idol

cookjohnfood

67
Posted
Posted

I like angelababy. But I'm surprised the appointment did not go to Liu yifei. She suits Dior better

 

Liu yi fei was the first Dior brand ambassador. Her contract ended. That's why they chose a new one. 

 

 

 

Meh, I think it's the fans of other actresses who are complaining (like Liu Yifei fans) lol.

 

 

probably fans of LiuFei/other actresses or AB antis complaining, nobody else cares enough. Angelababy is pretty and she def gets people talking. 

 

I'm utterly confused guys, Liu YI Fei was the first brand ambassador for Dior in China area. Also, why are you guys assuming those who complained are liu yi fei fans? Her fans knew about her contract ended, why would they complain? The article was misinformed, so I can't trust it. It also didn't even mention about fans, more like netizens complaining so please don't drag Liu Yi Fei into this mess. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
everypart Superstar

everypart

11,409
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Liu yi fei was the first Dior brand ambassador. Her contract ended. That's why they chose a new one. 

 

 

 

 

I'm utterly confused guys, Liu YI Fei was the first brand ambassador for Dior in China area. Also, why are you guys assuming those who complained are liu yi fei fans? Her fans knew about her contract ended, why would they complain? The article was misinformed, so I can't trust it. It also didn't even mention about fans, more like netizens complaining so please don't drag Liu Yi Fei into this mess. 

Liu Yifei was not Dior's brand ambassador in China. She was an ambassador of one of its branches, Dior Prestige (their skincare brand), but not Dior itself. That's why her fans are dissatisfied with Dior's choice because Liu Yifei and Dior have been working together for years. Angelababy is the brand's first ambassador in China. So this article is not misinformed on that front.

 

If you look at the comments under the post on Weibo, you'd see a lot of Liu Yifei fans. I like Liu Yifei a lot (I find her gorgeous, kind, etc) but let's not act like fandoms can't be immature lmao. It's a criticism of a group of fans, not her. So she herself is not getting dragged to this mess by people, it's her fans bringing her up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cookjohnfood Idol

cookjohnfood

67
Posted
Posted

Liu Yifei was not Dior's brand ambassador in China. She was an ambassador of one of its branches, Dior Prestige (their skincare brand), but not Dior itself. That's why her fans are dissatisfied with Dior's choice because Liu Yifei and Dior have been working together for years. Angelababy is the brand's first ambassador in China. So this article is not misinformed on that front.

 

If you look at the comments under the post on Weibo, you'd see a lot of Liu Yifei fans. I like Liu Yifei a lot (I find her gorgeous, kind, etc) but let's not act like fandoms can't be immature lmao. It's a criticism of a group of fans, not her. So she herself is not getting dragged to this mess by people, it's her fans bringing her up.

 

Alright well, thanks for clearing that up. I was confused since Liu Yi Fei also wore a lot of Dior outfits and sponsored by them for so many events, so that part was my fault. But I'm just not satisfied by the fact the article only said many chinese people but you called out her fandom like that. A person who is a fan of Liu Yi Fei could still be questioning why AB was the choice without that fact being brought up to use against them. AB is known for having huge amount of antis from even passerby so it's not surprising people were complaining. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Delincious Legend

Delincious

5,654
Posted
Posted

Angelababy.

 

I first saw her getting called Kim Kardashian when she had her very luxurious wedding that they spent over $30 million for. Article here. And I guess the label stuck because she's being called that everywhere.

 

I think that they just wanted to compare the level of fame? But in a way, they're similar in that they don't really have representative work outside of their job as reality tv stars. And they're both accused of plastic surgery. They're the 'famous for being famous' type of celebrity, the types who are big on social media.

AB has an actual acting career though. And she's not even bad at it .
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

 Accept Cookies  Reject Cookies
Back to Top