Tommy Genesis' new music video True Blue disrespectful towards Christianity and Hinduism?

Canadian rapper and model Tommy Genesis whose real name is Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj has released her new video True Blue. While the reactions for the song are mixed, the video has got a lot of attention. Social media has said that the visuals look disrespectful for both Christians and Hindus. We can see that her body is painted in a shade of blue. It will remind us of the colour on some forms of Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna and Maa Kali (Shyama). In fact, a prop shaped like a Christian cross is placed in a rather inappropriate manner in the video.

She is of Malayali, Tamil and Swedish descent. Tommy Genesis is from Vancouver in Canada. She has been described as a rebellious underground rapper. Her lyrics deal with themes like gender and sexuality. Genesis is her birth name. In the video, we can see decked in Indian jewellery like a maang tika, nath, bangles, earrings with extensions and more. People can say the look reminds us of an apsara but in a James Cameron’s Avatar world. The flow of the rap is good, and she talks candidly about depression and PTSD. Tommy’s song is basically about being honest and taking charge of one’s life.

This is not the first time that a singer has been called out for cultural appropriation. The famous K-Pop group Blackpink has also faced issues on this front after a statue of Lord Ganesha was used as an aesthetic. In fact, the use of iconography related to Shiva and Shakti has been debated time and again.