Forever 21 Criticized for ‘Oriental Girl Necklace’

How is this offensive OR racist?? THEY make these things!! It is also an accurate depiction.. NOT a stereotype… albeit it is really more Japanese, Americans view all Orientals (wait.. that word is now outdated?? WHO SAYS?!?!) as a hybrid of all Asian cultures… Just like they view whites as being stupid and fat Americans with big round eyes and credit cards…

Someone wearing a “sombrero, colorful poncho and exaggerated mustache riding a stuffed donkey” is offensive?!?!?! Oh, please. I guess I better not get a pinata for my son’s birthday. I may offend someone.

Wow. I guess I need to update my dictionary of racist stereotype words – I had no idea that Oriental was racist when referring to people – I thought is could be used to refer to people from Oriental countries. The person who created this necklace probably innocently thought they were making something that paid homage to a region and people they admire – seriously doubt they meant to offend. I will not hold it against Foreever 21 – I just might buy the necklace – I too admire the Oriental culture.

First let me say I am not a believer in starting an uproar over what should probably be considered a product mistake. I can clear up a few things. People are not supposed to be called Oriental and as far as I know it has always been this way. Objects are oriental. I heard a saying once that sums it up and is easy to remember, “Carpets are Oriental people are Asian.” Forever 21 should possibly change the name of the product and maybe issue a quick apology and everyone should move on. As some others said I am sure they did mean to offend.

Just another example why this country is going to hell in a hand-basket! I’m sure a AFL-CIO lawyer is already on the case. So sad!

@jim, LOL! And since Oriental is now “BAD”, guess someone should tell the local Chinese restaurant, named the Oriental House, that their name is offensive! And according to Jim, they must hate themselves too. PC gone WAY to far.

Oriental is apparently a term used as derogatory on the west coast. It’s use is still acceptable on the east coast and in Britain. However, it is okay to refer to objects as Oriental, such as art, food, and rungs. The reference to people as Oriental is the objectionable use, in theory.

Oriental Thai Airlines: Guess I had better email them to change their name, after all they are offending millions of their passengers.

In Taiwan, there’s a snack food brand called “Everyone Says Good Good Eat”, that always has an cartoon character of a cute Asian girl. One of the snacks has fish cakes the shape of her caricatured head floating among noodles. On another one of the packages, she has a band-aid on her face, because you’re supposed to break apart the snack before you open the package – by punching her in the face.

I think this jewelry is politically correct in comparison.

Has the internet ever hard of the matreshka, you can buy them anywhere on the net, most orientals are very proud of the heritage, as are the Russians. The problem is the politically correct females are trying to find something to complain about, let peoples heritage to the people that want it.

RIGHT! Then cats everywhere need to scream foul on Hello Kitty! Asians for that matter too….an asian cat that resembles asian people…..this is stupid

NO LEAVE IT ALONE I am affended by all the knit picking, everybody want to complain. IT is a cute necklace. Idea! lets go to the end of 2011 with out complaining and compearing and bulling each other. This would included the Crongress and Senators ( get some real work done). shhhhh just be stiil and let go…

There’s nothing inherently offensive in using the term Oriental, or Occidental for that matter. It’s all in the intentions of the speaker. People who assume that’s racist need to get their own minds out of a racial rut — taking a symbol or word and then making stereotypical assumptions about the intentions of person using them. I guess all partial representations, generalizations, and cartoons should be forever abolished now, and exchanged for some new kind of hyper real cartoon that somehow encapsulates all the qualities of power but victimhood, beauty but not too much beauty, average but not too average, etc. There is seriously nothing that will satisfy people who obsess over this kind of stuff.

I don’t find this Racist or offensive, it is not like the name of it is Korean Girl, China Girl, Japanese Girl, or any specific heritage where the look of the Girl would clash with the culture. It is general, not specific, what about those American ones… not every American is a blond rocker.

Hmm, let’s see, I’m Asian born, Chinese by race, I’ve lived here in the US most of my life, I am highly educated, and I have *never* seen anything offensive about “Oriental”. “Chink”, yes. I think that Fox news piece on was it USC students was ugly, and I think people saying “ching chong chang” and pulling their eyelids up to make slanty eyes is neither original nor all that humorous, but I don’t get too worked up about it. But “Oriental”? I myself use the words “Oriental” or “yellow” to differentiate between the “yellow” Asians (like the Chinese) and the non-yellow Asians (Indians, e.g.). But I agree, getting up in arms about “Oriental” is dumb. In fact, we Asians use the term ourselves…look at “Oriental Trading co”, I think it’s run by Asians. Their stuff is from Asia.

I liked it better when people could crack jokes about one another`s ethnicity and have fun doing it without being called racist.Now you can`t hardly say anything without being labeled something negative.

While the term oriental might be outdated, how in the world is it racist? If the necklace was called “chinky girl necklace” I can see how people would be offended, although I have a friend who is of asian descent and refers to herself that way. And why can’t there be a necklace with an asian/oriental figure or native american for that matter? And what’s the big deal with using the term navajo? the tribe isn’t getting paid for it or something? this is just ridiculous. PC gone waaaaay too far!

So from now on, anybody in any foreign country who depicts a California surfer or surfer girl will be attacked as “racist”, right?

They would just call it the chinawoman necklace if they wanted to be racist.

So I’m seeing a lot of people using the term, “Objects are Oriental; people are Asian”. May I just say that this necklace is not a person! This is a poor excuse for racism. At least they didn’t say “yellow”…get over it people. There are a lot of American stereotypes in the world, like the blonde hair blue eyed girl. People need to suck it up and get tougher skin because if they can’t handle something so simple and unoffensive as this, there’s no way they’ll make it in this dog-eat-dog world

Debbie Lyn
Dear American Minorities…..give me break.
I am a (partially) Oriental person and I don’t find the word Oriental or this pendant offensive. In fact, Oriental is a compliment and I want one of these pendants.
So now in addition to the “N” word and the “B” word, there’s going to be the “O” word? What about the “W” word? I am sure white people are offended to be color profiled, and would prefer to be called “American-American”

The saying ‘Going to hell in a handbasket’ is absolutely ridiculous. Anyone who uses such a phrase to characterize a poor state of affairs is a brainsick nutcase. The origin of this fragment goes back to the 1920s, according to several dictionaries. But in truth it makes very little sense, unless, one means, the world will be put in a handbasket or handcart or handbag and sent to hell, which too, doesn’t make much sense either. Who’s going to put the world in one of the above objects and send us all to hell?

Why not just say ‘Going to hell where you belong’. Although the alliteration, hell and handbasket, are not present in my fragment still it is more sensible and rational and makes sense. Plus it maneuvers itself away from evidence of a dumb down society or what I call ‘Parrot Syndrome’.

Wake up America. It’s time to put ignorance behind us.

Wesley McCants
Cincinnati Ohio