Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s Grammys performance of ‘WAP’ drew dozens of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after it aired last weekend.
Dallas broadcaster WFAA obtained the complaints by filing an information request with the FCC, gaining access to the criticisms of 80 disgruntled viewers.
The pair performed the clean version of the song rather than the explicit original, but their outfits and choreography were described by many complainants as pornographic, with one saying they looked “as if they were dancing in a strip club”.
“The outfits they were wearing and the movements they did were absolutely disgusting,” wrote an Idaho viewer, adding “this network should face very stiff penalties”.
“The Grammys need to require the artist not to be performing any types of sexual acts and require clothes to stay on and not stripping down to bra and panties,” said another, though neither Megan nor Cardi actually performed sex acts, and both wore costumes.
Many complainants also referenced cancel culture, and questioned why ‘WAP’ could be performed at the Grammys while some books by children’s author Dr Seuss had been “canceled”.
“The media has a problem with Dr. Seuss, yet allows Cardi B to sing about her [WAP] on national television,” wrote a Texas complainant.
Cardi responded to similar comments earlier in the week after conservatives also drew the comparison.
“When has a school made kids read the lyrics to wap? I get it wap might be a lil vulgar but stop comparing a sensual song to books that has RACIST content! How can ya not tell the difference?I see that common sense aint that common,” Cardi responded to critics on Twitter earlier in the week.
Conservatives been making viral tweets comparing WAP to the banning of some of Dr Seuss books as if there’s any correlations between the two ….Well I can DEFINITELY tell some of ya ONLY read dr Seuss books
cause ya mind lacks comprehension. https://t.co/F34fphVBIb
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) March 15, 2021
These comparisons don’t acknowledge that the pulling of the books was the choice of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, who said they “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong”.
Another person brought up Warner Bros. cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew, who was recently criticised as a character that “normalized rape culture” by New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow.
“Why was that performance okay but Pepe Le Pew is offensive?,” they wrote.
Janet Jackson‘s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction also got a mention, with an outraged viewer saying “This display made the Janet Jackson Super Bowl Halftime faux pas seem like children’s television! The FCC has failed at their job!”.
Cardi also previously responded to claims that it was an inappropriate timeslot for the performance, aired when children might be awake and watching TV.
“The Grammies are PG .That means parental guidance.Meaning is your job like it is to mine to my child to monitor what they watch.My performance was around 10 pm on a Sunday Your child should be in bed ready for school the next day why are they up watching Wap?,” she wrote.
The Grammies are PG .That means parental guidance.Meaning is your job like it is to mine to my child to monitor what they https://t.co/gdNa1o7G3y performance was around 10 pm on a Sunday Your child should be in bed ready for school the next day why are they up watching Wap? https://t.co/iJAIpCxcyZ
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) March 19, 2021
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