logo
Why Asian women are reclaiming tradition with teeth blackening

Why Asian women are reclaiming tradition with teeth blackening

When
Vietnamese-American singer Sailorr's first live performances resurfaced online in late 2024, it attracted a lot of attention: not just for her hypnotic music, but for her distinctive black teeth. 'So I'm not the only one distracted by her mouth?' read a comment liked nearly 2,700 times under a video of one of her performances.
Against Instagram's sea of
bright-white veneers , Sailorr's dark smile isn't just a fashion statement: publicly practising teeth blackening is a homecoming, a cultural reclamation that she and other artists of Asian descent, including Molly Santana and Qui Yasuka, have been reviving in recent years.
A new take on a centuries-old practice
Teeth aren't a new canvas for self-expression. We've become used to seeing grills and gems everywhere since about the 1980s – the trend owes much to hip-hop culture's rich influence on fashion and music.
Advertisement
While less known globally, Asia's traditions of dental adornment are no less culturally profound. Teeth blackening, in particular, has been practised for centuries and was regarded as a rite of passage, a marker of beauty, adulthood and refinement across the region, especially in Vietnam and Japan. In Japan, aristocrats stained their teeth with iron filings and vinegar in a practice called ohaguro from the 11th to 19th centuries. In Vietnam, nhuộm răng dates back to the Hùng King era (2879-258 BC) and made use of betel, charcoal and beeswax.
In both cases, the imposition of
Western beauty standards during colonial times nearly erased the practice throughout the region, explains Dr Aida Yuen Wong, professor of art history at Brandeis University. 'In Vietnam, French colonial rule engendered new beauty standards. And though Japan was never colonised, authorities banned the practice in alignment with Western ideals, driven by a desire to avoid appearing as uncivilised.'
Shunned into near extinction, teeth blackening was mostly preserved by the elders – until artists like Sailorr, and Japanese-American creatives Sukii Baby and Molly Santana, reclaimed the practice and inspired a new generation of women.
Beauty trend and identity politics
'I'm Vietnamese-American, so I knew of teeth blackening,' says aspiring fashion designer Mou Isabel Phung. 'But when I saw Sailorr and Sukii Baby mixing such an old traditional practice into modern fashion, I knew I wanted to do it as well.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Love One Piece? Inside the new viral US cafe based on hit Japanese anime
Love One Piece? Inside the new viral US cafe based on hit Japanese anime

South China Morning Post

timean hour ago

  • South China Morning Post

Love One Piece? Inside the new viral US cafe based on hit Japanese anime

The Cortez family piled out of their car and stretched their legs. After a 90-minute drive from their home in Long Beach, California, they had made it to the One Piece Cafe in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighbourhood. 'I was just sitting in the car like, 'I'm going to be at the One Piece Cafe,'' said Cammy Cortez, who was introduced to the popular manga and anime franchise by her older brother and now runs a One Piece fan account on X. 'It's going to be a good day.' Timed to open during last month's Los Angeles Anime Convention, the largest event dedicated to Japanese pop culture in North America, the new permanent restaurant is the second official One Piece Cafe from Andy Nguyen – an entrepreneur behind several themed restaurants – in collaboration with Toei Animation, the studio behind the anime. The first One Piece Cafe opened in Las Vegas in May 2024. One Piece follows the adventures of protagonist Monkey D Luffy, who dreams of becoming the Pirate King, and his band of Straw Hat Pirates as they seek the 'One Piece' treasure. The cafe opened during July's Los Angeles Anime Convention. Photo: TNS Fans of the anime have been flocking to the Little Tokyo cafe eager to try Japanese dishes inspired by One Piece characters, like Sanji's 'Diable Jambe' chicken katsu sando, with 24-hour brined chicken served on sweet honey milk bread, and Zoro's Onigiri, in honour of the character's love of rice.

Who is Audrey Nuna, who plays Mira on KPop Demon Hunters?
Who is Audrey Nuna, who plays Mira on KPop Demon Hunters?

South China Morning Post

time2 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Who is Audrey Nuna, who plays Mira on KPop Demon Hunters?

Audrey Nuna is making headlines as one of the performers – alongside Ejae and Rei Ami – on the viral hit 'Golden', the lead single from the original soundtrack of Netflix's hit animated feature KPop Demon Hunters. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 12. Audrey Nuna, Ejae and Rei Ami pose with a poster of their animated Netflix film Kpop Demon Hunters. Photo: @cartoonsonthemoon/Instagram KPop Demon Hunters tells the story of a popular K-pop girl group called Huntr/x, who secretly serve as demon hunters protecting the world from a demon king and his demon boy band, Saja Boys. Nuna voiced the character Mira from Huntr/x and performed several other songs from the film's soundtrack, including 'How It's Done', 'Takedown' and 'What It Sounds Like'. Advertisement Recognised for her unique blend of pop, R&B, rap and experimental trap, Nuna is captivating fans worldwide on her Trench tour, where she's performing songs from her critically acclaimed second album released in late 2024. The global tour is taking her to across continents this year, including Asia and Australia. Here is everything you need to know about this rising star. She's a Korean-American musician Korean-American musician Audrey Nuna was born in New Jersey to Korean immigrant parents. Photo: @audreynuna/Instagram Nuna, 26, was born in New Jersey to Korean immigrant parents. She began making music as a teenager and had an Instagram page where she uploaded videos of herself in the bathtub playing keyboard and doing covers of artists like Childish Gambino or rewriting Drake's verses. Those videos caught the eye of producer Anwar Sawyer, who was signed to Roc Nation and became her manager. While enrolled at the renowned Clive Davis Institute at New York University, Nuna balanced her studies with late-night studio sessions at Sawyer's place, often taking early morning buses back to campus to get some sleep before class. Ultimately, she decided to drop out and fully focus on her music, independently releasing tracks such as '80 deg, Honeypot' in 2018 to launch her career. She's a rapper who has released two albums Audrey Nuna has released a string of successful singles since 2020. Photo: @audreynuna/Instagram

Japanese idol Kenshin Kamimura convicted for molesting interpreter in Hong Kong
Japanese idol Kenshin Kamimura convicted for molesting interpreter in Hong Kong

South China Morning Post

time12 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Japanese idol Kenshin Kamimura convicted for molesting interpreter in Hong Kong

Japanese pop idol Kenshin Kamimura has been convicted for molesting an interpreter working with him during a fan event in Hong Kong earlier this year. West Kowloon Court on Wednesday found that Kamimura, 26, assaulted the woman by patting and stroking her thigh at a Mong Kok restaurant on March 2. He was fined HK$15,000 (US$1,910). The presiding magistrate dismissed the defence's allegations targeting the prosecution witness' credibility and ruled the Japanese star could not have genuinely believed that the woman consented to his advances. Kamimura, who was expelled from the Japanese boy band ONE N' ONLY because of the case, originally came to the city alongside actor Junsei Motojima to attend a fan meeting at Regala Skycity Hotel on March 1. The two celebrities and their assistants celebrated the event's success at Ming Kee Restaurant in Mong Kok later that night.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store