You’d think with the current widespread awareness of once-overlooked facts such as Racism Is Bad, businesses might pause and think for literally one second before going ahead with some highly suspect branding that’s likely to alienate a significant portion of their prospective customer base.
You’d think so! But here we are again!
Suey Sins, a Sydney bar and restaurant that’s just opened in Surry Hills, is copping a righteous avalanche of shit for their extremely suss “sexy pre-war Shanghai” theme.
Apparently the bar itself is named after “a famous Shanghai call girl” (we could find exactly zero evidence to verify this claim). Owner Eli West said of the name:
“I like to think I may be related to a character very similar to Suey Sin. I love the idea of this seductive, alluring woman who had old world charm and poise.”
Sure! We all love the idea of old world charm, I totally get it. Except that making the leap from “old world charm” to “sexy Asian lady” when you’re settling on a theme for your new bar is lazy and tone-deaf at best and Orientalist, ignorant and dehumanising at worst.
Especially when the product of this concept is décor featuring Anna May Wong (an actress, not a sex worker, and one who was subject to appalling racism during her lifetime) and an outstandingly tacky mural of a naked Asian lady.
Let’s not forget the predominantly white wait staff in cheap knock-offs of traditional Chinese dress, or the serious social media misstep of deleting photo evidence of aforementioned staff, as well as a bunch of negative comments along with it. We’ve obtained screenshots of some of those comments:
Yeah, mates. This is a shit-show. The litany of one star Facebook reviews says it better than I can:
Surprise, surprise: people who are likely to face racism on a daily basis tend not to like it when businesses use racist bullshit as the foundation of their brand, and are likely to both tell others about it and to take their business elsewhere. Do better, bar owners. You certainly should know better by now.
Source and image: Facebook.
