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Beyonce has canceled her scheduled Nov. 1 show in Kuala Lumpur after Muslim groups in Malaysia objected to her performance; according to reports, she also refused to abide by the country’s dress code for women that are onstage, which dictates that female performers “must show no skin from the tops of their chests to their knees.”
Said sartorial restrictions–which also threw a wrench into plans for Gwen Stefani’s Malaysia concert last month, although she decided at the last minute to put on some tights under her revealing outfits–were enacted in 2005 as part of a suite of rules for performers that also include “no hugging or kissing audience members or fellow artists, no jumping or shouting, no throwing objects onstage or at the audience and no foul language.” Yes, that’s right: A woman wearing, say, a scoop-neck top while singing is just as threatening to polite society as people throwing bottles around a full auditorium.
Beyonce’s Malaysian Debut Axed [Billboard]
that’s awesome. THUNDER THIGHS OR NOTHING!
But are our artists so shallow they HAVE to perform half naked? That’s a pretty damned sad commentary on talent, right there.
Of all the things they want to ban Beyouncita Knowlita from doing it’s wearing mini skirts?
She should be banned from speaking in public!
She’ll probably have to cancel her show in Myanmar too….
-Debbie Downer
Those wacky Third-Worlders. When will they embrace savagery?
If I was Beyonce (and I’m not) I’d do the same thing. I don’t think
is so much an issue of “American performers are shallow” as much as it
is “restrictive dress codes for women are wrong”. I like that Beyonce
is popular enough in this country to hold a show there – no doubt lots
of the people that enforce these rules are whacking it to pictures of
her.
-nt-
Damn right. B’s not gonna do ‘Freakum Dress without flashing some of that Bootyliciousness. It’s the American way!
Go B! get ur freakum dress on oooohoohhh
Thats Malaysia for you…
Just go to Singapore, just next door.
@rrnate: I’m with you. This could be like when Ray Charles refused to do shows in Georgia!
First Italian police women have to wear stilettos now this.
My mother’s from Malaysia (she’s Chinese and not muslim, however) so I’ve visited it a couple of times. There are no official rules for dress for women, the only women you see really covered up are the ones from Saudi Arabia who are there for vacation. Speaking of which, I went to a water park there and the arab women were covered up the entire time and couldn’t enjoy the rides or anything. I was like “Why even go to a water park if you’re just going to sit there in the boiling heat?” and my boyfriend replied “To watch their husbands and kids have fun.” =/ I was the only one wearing a bikini– that was awkward.
Their country, their rules. But hey, not everyone can dress like Eryka Badu and get away with it.
Any fatwa against “House of Dereon” is progress. I’m surprised her mother didn’t feel up to the challenge to Bedazzle a burka and go on with the show.