Sourcefed called it a "racist appropriation of Japanese kawaii culture." Policy Mic said Lavigne was "one step away from squinting her way through this one." And on our shores, Canada.com wrote that she treated her Asian backup dancers as "passive, adorable background decoration for a wealthy North American pop singer." What did Japan think of the video? Funny, few seemed to ask.Avril Lavigne's haters have piled on over the "Hello Kitty" video, accusing her of racism for using Asian dancers as "props" and "decorations." It seems like Avril's critics were less concerned with learning anything about Japan or checking to see what the affected party thought.

When Avril Lavigne issued a defence on Twitter, peppered with LOLs and claiming that because Japanese people were involved in the development of the "Hello Kitty" video, it couldn't possibly be racist, I gave up. It's the same tired defence we hear all the time. But my best friend is Asian/gay/vegan!