All posts in: Scandal

15 Mar 2021

Grammys Did BTS Dirty

If you’ve been with Yow Yow! for some time, then you know that we always cover awards shows. Every year, we discuss the winners, the red carpet, the snubs, and the things we learn after it all goes down. It’s not lost on any of us that the public are calling on award shows to be more diverse and inclusive. The pattern is that they give enough for us to be grateful, but also to shut us up. As a newly BTS stan, I watched myself become more invested in the group’s wins and aspirations. They are the group that you want to root for. Days and weeks leading up to the award show, their promos were everywhere. Celebrities were even getting in on this and it felt like there was a campaign rallying for a “Dynamite” win.

In 2019, BTS presented an award for the first time and said on stage, “we’ll be back.” Sure enough, they did return in 2020 to perform “Old Town Road” alongside Lil Nas X.” While it was a performance on the Grammy stage, the guys wanted a chance someday to perform their own song. It was 2021 in which they not only were receiving a nomination, but also invited to perform. It was supposed to be their year actually. Plenty of media outlets predicted a win and that they’d have one of the best performances of the night and it was! Now, no one here is saying that “Rain On Me” wasn’t a summer bop. It was a great song, but if we’re looking at the numbers, there is no comparison. That begs all of us to wonder, “how are winners actually being determined?”

For an award show who boasts about BTS being a part of their program, they sure have a funny way of showing their love to the group. BTS participated in numerous interviews with the organization leading up to the event. Ahead of the award show itself, they did a special performance for MusiCares – a virtual concert featuring a number of artists. Tickets were $25 and while BTS was headlining, they only played one song at the end of the event. Best Pop Duo/Group – the category that they were nominated for was not going to be a part of the main show. Of course, every year there are too many awards that they have to present some before the main event. You would think a category like this would be primetime, but it’s not. The disappointing part of this is that if they had won, they wouldn’t have had the chance to give their speech in front of everyone else the way others have had that opportunity previously.

As someone who worked in events, I understand production logistics. I’ll let that part slide. The thing that I cannot forgive though is the award show teasing in every commercial break that BTS “was coming up next.” As ARMY, we know better. American awards recognize the pull and influence that BTS has on their fans. Keeping them hanging onto the very last minute of the show with BTS performance brings up their viewership. Well the joke is on them because despite doing that, the Grammys last night pulled in its lowest ratings at 8.8 million. Jungkook’s VLive a couple weeks ago pulled in 22 million viewers alone.

We’re not exactly saying the Grammys are racist or xenophobic, but we call it like we see it! ARMY root for BTS to receive the Grammy award because they know how much it means to the group. It’s the thing that they’ve been working towards that they haven’t achieved yet. Given all they have done, they don’t need it and in fact, it’s the Grammys that needs BTS more than they need them.

06 Feb 2021

When Disney Makes You Choose A Side

Leave it to the younger generation to get the rest of us involved with a Disney love triangle. This is one of the reasons why I find TikTok to be such a darling. It has the ability to make things blow up and make you care about things you never would have previously. A few weeks ago, I noticed a trending sound – a new single – from a name I had never heard of before. Olivia Rodrigo, who is an actress on Disney+’s High School Musical show, apparently had her heart broken and wrote a gut wrenching song about it. The man taught her how to drive! And now that she does have her license, she can’t even use her license to drive over to his house because they are no longer together.

Also, I’d like to note that I’ve read and watched many TikToks about this scandal, but I feel like it isn’t confirmed that they actually were dating and just speculation. One half of the crowd actually believes this is all a PR scheme. Why? Because the boy in question and her co-star (nothing to write home about honestly) is now dating another Disney star, Sabrina Carpenter. Not only did Olivia and said guy, Josh, also release songs in the same time frame, but so did Sabrina!

Who really cares about the guy though? I’m going to drop both songs here and let you all decide which you prefer. Sabrina says her release is not in response to “Driver’s License,” but how can it not be? We know this can’t be a coincidence. Honestly, they are both bops. I just want to know why these two amazing ladies might be pining over some mediocre guy.

29 Aug 2020

Blog Roundup

  • Meghan Markle Was Set Up To Fail [The Cut]
  • Instagram Reels Can’t Beat TikTok. Here Are 8 Reasons Why [Medium]
  • What Will Being An Influencer Mean in 2021 And Beyond? [Nylon]
  • Wirecutter’s Worst Things For Most People [NY Times]
  • Un-Adopted – YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer Share Every Step of Their Parenting Journey. Except the Last. [The Cut]
  • 23 TV Moments That Were So Bad, People Had To Stop Watching [BuzzFeed]
  • Who Gets To Be ‘Hapa?’ [NPR]
  • Tracking Coronavirus Cases At U.S. Colleges and Universities [NY Times]
  • Now Is a Great Time to Go Back to an Old iPod [GQ]
  • How to Vote By Mail During the 2020 Election [Vogue]
15 Jul 2020

Blog Roundup

  • How a 4th of July Meal Exposes the Coronavirus Risk for Thousands of US Food Workers [Buzzfeed]
  • How To Be Alone [Vox]
  • We Shadowed A Restaurant Server for a Full Shift [SFGate]
  • We’re Going to Run Out of TV [The Ringer]
  • What Will College Be Like in the Fall? [The Cut]
  • Does Being Underwater Stop Your Period? [Refinery29]
  • Does Wearing a Mask Make You Look Hot? [GQ]
  • What If Working From Home Goes On…Forever? [New York Times]
  • No One Knows How to Throw a Pandemic Wedding [The Cut]
  • Why Time Feels So Weird in 2020 [Reuters Graphics]
  • Why The Internet Is Blowing Up About LA’s Most Infamous Jam Maker [Eater]
  • We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs [Teen Vogue]
  • Simone Biles Cover Story [Vogue]
  • Have You and Your Friends Had the COVID Talk? [The Cut]
  • Who Does Boba Guys ‘Bridge Cultures For?’ [SF Weekly]
  • Nobody Made Reading Look As Cool As Shaq Did [Mel Magazine]
  • What Movies Present As Normal, But It Actually Isn’t [Bored Panda]
26 Feb 2020

Blog Roundup

  • Why We Love John Ambrose Over Peter K. [Buzzfeed]
  • Bodies in Seats [The Verge] – content warning
  • Garbage Language – Why Do Corporations Speak the Way They Do? [Vulture]
  • Susan Fowler on the Aftermath of Speaking Out Against Uber [TIME]
  • How Washington’s Non-Compete Law Impacts Musicians, Festivals, and Venues [KEXP]
  • One Restaurant You Should Try in Every State [Chicago Tribune]
  • Supreme Oreos Are Now Selling For Over $91,000 on eBay [Forbes]
  • Don’t Get Your Tax Refund On An Amazon Gift Card [Life Hacker]
  • Every State’s Favorite State and Least Favorite State [Digg]
  • The Rise of the Instagram Curator [GQ]
  • Bumbershoot Could Be Smaller, Cheaper, and More Local in 2020 [Crosscut]
  • Lana Condor and Ali Wong Will Not Be Taking Questions At This Time [Interview Magazine]
  • The Wing’s Audrey Gelman confronts the realities of rapid growth [Fast Company]
  • The Nice Guy Trope, Explained
10 Jan 2020

McMillions

https://youtu.be/kK2ZGOsbeqo

Growing up, Monopoly was one of my favorite childhood games. I loved it even more when I could play it alongside with one of my favorite fast food chains. There was never a chance of my family and I ever winning, but it was fun to try or at least still collect the pieces. I always knew how seriously people would take McDonalds Monopoly, but never read up on the scandal that took place. I’m really excited to see this all go down on HBO when the six-part series debuts February 3rd.

[Source]

01 Dec 2019

Blog Roundup

  • In the 2010s, Instagram Became the World’s Filter [The Cut]
  • ‘Being Careful’ Won’t Prevent Revenge Porn [The Cut]
  • The 100 Best Movies of the 2010s [AV Club]
  • What to Do If a Package Is Stolen From Your Porch [Life Hacker]
  • Second Life Podcast: Sallie Krawcheck [WhoWhatWear]
  • 24 Things to Do With Your Thanksgiving Leftovers [Bon Appetit]
  • How Much It Costs To Run For President in the US [Digg]
  • 6 Things to Stop Saying At Work – – and What to Say Instead [The Everygirl]
22 Nov 2019

Cancelled: The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

When I wrote back in May that the [Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Was No More] I was under the impression it was done for good. Now, I’m going to have to retract that a bit because at the time it was still just a rumor that it might be cancelled. My titling is a bit misleading, but now it’s not just a rumor. It was announced this week that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show would not be happening this year. However, it’s still to be determined on whether it’s gone forever.

The brand has fallen under some major criticism this year. Aside from the fact that sales are down, people pointed out that it seemed like Victoria’s Secret was not only lacking in diversity, but also inclusivity by saying they wouldn’t hire transsexual models. It’s as if they think the only place they can show up is on sites like shemalehd.sex with that kind of exclusion. Growing up, Victoria’s Secret was a go-to brand for teenage girls. Was it because at the time, it was the only brand? The only brand that we could afford with our allowances? These days, I don’t think I know anyone in my circle of girlfriends that is still shopping there, do you?

[Source]

15 Sep 2019

What Should We Do About Shane Gillis?

Shane Gillis (center)

I had been debating all week since I heard the news whether I was going to write a post or not. Then I remembered that the problem is not saying anything at all. Not speaking up means people like Shane Gillis can continue to blur the lines of blatant racism and comedy.

This week, Saturday Night Live announced that there would be 3 new cast members added to their roster. In two weeks, the new season will welcome comedian Bowen Yang as the first Asian cast member to join in 44 years. It’s hard to praise the series because in a way, it’s unacceptable for the series to go this long to add Asian diversity, but we will take it. However, overshadowing this news is that comedian Shane Gillis will also join the roster. As quickly as this was announced, the internet dug up clips from Gillis in which he was racist, sexist, and homophobic. People didn’t have to look too far because a lot of this material was posted just in 2018.

I considered not watching the clip – specifically the one from his podcast with Matt McCusker. Why? I’ve heard it all before growing up as an Asian American. However, I couldn’t write about it if I didn’t have the context. What I heard was worse than what I imagined it would be. In 2019, we should be beyond this already. Not only is this not comedy, but Gillis’s words are harmful. They breed hatred and this kind of behavior can’t and shouldn’t continue.

I grew up loving Saturday Night Live. I’m thrilled that Bowen has this opportunity, but to think of him sharing the same stage as people like Shane Gillis? It’s hard for me to grasp. So what do we do about Shane? Yes, I’m sure in some ways he has worked hard to get to this moment himself as well, but at the expense of hurting and diminishing others. Do we think Shane Gillis should be cancelled? Saturday Night Live should come forward with a statement. I’m not sure what that statement should look like, but my take is that he’s not the right person for this job. Shane will find other work, but he shouldn’t have the privilege of being on a platform like Saturday Night Live or a network like NBC.

[Source]

15 Mar 2019

Operation Varsity Blues

In bizarre news stories this week, waking up to Operation Varsity Blues was truly a weird one. 50 people were charged on Tuesday for a college admissions conspiracy. Two of those people happen to be actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. The scheme spanned a number of things including cheating on admission tests, bribery, and pretending like their kids were being recruited for sports’ teams. Olivia Munn’s tweet above summed up all of my feelings.

What is the point of having that degree from a prestigious Ivy League school if you have no intention of doing anything with it? It seemed like Lori Loughlin’s daughter Olivia knew she wanted to be a Vlogger long before she became a freshman at USC. Why not just let her pursue that happily without college. She’d certainly have more time to focus on that. The added bonus is that this career requires no degree.

None of this is my biggest gripe though. I’m most upset that wealthy parents are taking advantage of this and instead of instilling better values for their children are showing them an example of cheating. Essentially, they are taking a spot at a university that could go to someone who is more deserving and who would value this experience. I never thought I would be so immersed in a scandal like this. Not even lying to you, I thought this headline was a joke when I saw it. I’m curious to see how this all pans out. It’s also a very interesting contrast to what’s happening with the Jussie Smollett case.

Readers, would love to hear you weigh in on this!