Some X users accused the singer of cultural appropriation, but they should have looked more closely at her outfit.
On May 2, 2024, X account @PopBase shared a video claiming to depict American recording artists Beyoncé and Jay-Z during a trip to Japan. The post received more than 2.1 million views and 36,000 likes, as of this writing.
Other viral tweets sharing the video accused Beyoncé of cultural appropriation and compared her to Taylor Swift, who was accused of appropriation when she was photographed wearing a kimono.
The video was indeed real; the footage was posted on Beyoncé’s personal Instagram account as a part of a reel on May 1, 2024 (archived here). It was likely taken in March 2024, which is when she held a signing event at Tower Records Shibuya, Tokyo. However, neither Beyoncé nor Jay-Z was sporting traditional Japanese apparel.
