Katy Perry has been banned indefinitely from China, just days before she was scheduled to perform at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai, Page Six reports. According to sources, Chinese officials reversed a decision to grant Katy a visa after being made aware of a sunflower dress the singer wore during a 2015 concert in Taipei. At the time, Katy’s dress was perceived by China as her voicing support for Taiwanese anti-China protestors, who made the sunflower as part of their campaign the year before. At one point during her 2015 concert, Katy even draped a Taiwanese flag over her sunflower dress, further angering a country that has long refused to recognize Taiwan as its territory.
A local newspaper showing Katy Perry and her controversial dress and flag in April 2015.
As one Page Six source explains, “For every artist who wants to perform in China, officials comb through their social media and press reports to see if they have done anything deemed to be offensive to the country.” Katy has now joined the likes of Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Oasis, and Björk, who have all been banned from entering China.
She later apologized on her official Weibo account, but her fans pointed out that the message was not enough, since people outside of China could not see it.
As Page Six reports, VS models Julia Belyakova, Kate Grigorieva, and Irina Sharipova have also been denied entry to China and will not walk in Monday's show.