In recent days, Phuong My Chi has become the focus of debate when the promotional image for the "Folk Players" project uses Pieu scarves in a way different from the customs of the Thai people.
Accordingly, instead of using a headdress, the female singer wrapped it around her hips, creating a feeling like a detail of the dress. Many viewers, including Thai people, believe that this use is not suitable in local culture.
Reaction from the community shows that Phuong My Chi's mistake is not in using traditional materials in a modern product. The problem lies in how that material is placed in a new context without fully considering the original meaning.
Talking to reporters, Dr., cultural researcher Tung Hieu said that the Pieu scarf is not just a costume accessory. For the Black Thai people, the scarf is associated with spiritual life, with the beauty of women, customs of marriage, weddings and even rituals related to funerals.
When an object with so many layers of meaning is moved from the head position, draped around the neck to the hip to create a visual effect, creativity can easily become deviant in the eyes of the community owning that heritage.
This is also a noteworthy point because Phuong My Chi has built an image associated with bringing traditional culture into young music for many years.
In the album "Folk Players", she and her crew exploit many materials from Thai Xoe, Xoan singing, Xam singing, Hue folk songs, E De folk songs, Cai Luong, classical opera to Khmer music in the South.
Because of choosing this path, the requirements for Phuong My Chi are also higher than for an artist who simply uses folk elements for decoration. If the goal is to introduce culture, understanding culture correctly must precede doing new things" - Dr. Tung Hieu shared.
Previously, Phuong My Chi's team said that they had invited many experts to consult during the album production process. However, the incident with the Piêu scarf shows that the consulting stage may still have loopholes.
A product exploiting indigenous culture not only needs experts in fine arts, music or cultural research, but also needs the voice of the community itself that owns and practices that culture. That is a noteworthy lesson from this event" - Dr. Tung Hieu added.
From the perspective of a media expert, Mr. Hoang Van said: "After the public's reaction, Phuong My Chi apologized, said she received feedback with a receptive spirit. The crew also removed images related to the Pieu scarf and proceeded to replace the images that appeared in the album introduction.
Quick handling helps limit prolonged arguments but does not lose the bigger question of how far artists should go when renewing heritage?
Creativity is always necessary if you want traditional culture to continue to exist in contemporary life. However, creativity does not mean that you can change any symbols just for aesthetic purposes.
For artists who choose culture as the foundation for their products, the responsibility is even greater because the images they present can become a way for a part of young audiences to access and understand heritage.
The Pieu scarf incident is therefore not just a costume error. It shows a paradox in the process of bringing traditional culture closer to young people when the more they want to be creative to create attraction, the more artists need to deeply understand the limits that should not be overcome.
For Phuong My Chi, this controversy may be a necessary lesson before she continues to exploit many other local materials in "Dân chơi dân ca" and later projects.
