American singer Katy Perry's costume sparked political controversy during her 2015 “Prismatic” world tour in Taiwan on Tuesday, April 28. Perry donned a shiny sunflower dress and a Taiwanese flag. She is under media scrutiny for allegedly supporting the Sunflower Student Movement.
Perry wore a metallic lime green tank dress decorated with large sunflowers. She wore the navy blue and red Taiwanese flag as a cape. Her multi-colored hair was worn down. Perry’s hair is wavy and mid-length. Her bleached hair has streaks of pink, green, yellow, lavender, blue, and orange in pastel hues.
Perry’s backup dancers all wore sunflower costumes. She sang while standing with her left elbow propped up against a large yellow and green sunflower mic stand. The outfit polarized Perry's fans in Asia. Taiwanese fans applauded her, while Chinese fans criticized her look. Her sunflower dress appeared to many to be less of an eccentric fashion choice and more of a powerful political statement.
The Sunflower Student Movement was a month-long protest that occurred in Spring 2014 to boycott the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA). The CSSTA is an initiative to open free trade between China and Taiwan. Sunflowers are a symbol of hope for the protestors.
