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Vibrant Japanese superstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has been active in Japan since she released her first single “PonPonPon” back in 2011. Since then, she’s released numerous albums, appeared in movies and commercials, and just basically has had one of the biggest careers an entertainer can have. She’s also been involved in her fair share of controversies.
The singer and model, known for her colorful outfits and style, grabbed audiences’ attention with her esoteric and whimsical style. She’s associated with Japan’s Kawaii culture, which was extremely popular in the 2010s and even inspired Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls.
Pamyu was born in a very traditional household in Nishitōkyō, Tokyo. At 12, she started a modeling career using her real name Kiriko Takemura. She said her father was fairly supportive of her career choices growing up but that they also had their fair share of fights.
In 2023, she married actor Shono Hayama and recently announced she was pregnant. So what are the controversies surrounding her?
The Body Image Controversy
Back in 2021, Pamyu tweeted about how people would talk about her body and how she felt about it. She said she wasn’t interested in showing off her body, but that she did love fashion and that’s what she was trying to show off.
Japan Today shared an image of the tweet as well as a translation: “I show items such as rings and shoes (on my social media), but I get comments like, “You’ve got chubby fingers!” or “You have no ankles” or “You have flat feet!” It really makes me feel like not posting them anymore. Would I be cute if I lost weight? What I think is important is being the ‘you’ that you love.”
Her post went viral and a lot of people reached out with supportive comments, like “That last sentence is brilliant! Even if people just think they’re teasing, I want people to know that it’s offensive,” and “I think that people who criticize other people’s appearance have a complex about their own appearance as well.”
The Pedophile Controversy
In 2019, Pamyu was accused of being a pedophile because of statements she made about a 12-year-old boy back when she was 19 years old. A user on X shared a series of posts where Pamyu appeared to express romantic love for the underage boy.
In one post she shared the child’s name on a cake and said “I want to marry him.” She eventually apologized and said she regretted causing anyone any harm.