Katy Perry's Sunflower Dress Stirs Up Controversy in China: Political Statement or Style Snafu? Get the Details!

Katy Perry's Sunflower Dress Stirs Up Controversy in China: Political Statement or Style Snafu? Get the Details!

Controversy is blooming around Katy Perry in China. What looked like just another technicolor costume for the pop princess has stirred up animosity among those who saw the sunflower-studded dress she wore onstage Tuesday as a pro- Taiwanese statement. Which, considering she was performing in Taipei and she was surrounded by sunflowers, could have been the case--but she's performed in that costume before Taiwan just marked last month the anniversary of the Sunflower Student Movement, when students staged a 23-day occupation of Taiwan's parliament last year in protest of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement, a trade pact that some Taiwanese feared would give mainland China too much
economic influence in the sovereign state. Thousands rallied outside the building in solidarity with the students inside, and
demonstrators carried sunflowers as a symbol of hope. So that is quite the statement of solidarity Perry seemed to be making. The Prism artist, who also at one point donned the
official flag of Taiwan (aka the Republic of China) as a cape while singing "Unconditionally," certainly kept the conversation light during her concert, at one point telling the audience, "I don't even know how to speak Mandarin. That's what you
speak, right?" According to Quartz, plenty of Perry's Taiwanese fans adored the outfit and what could be construed as its political significance, while posts on Chinese social
media indicated that the pop star may have lost some fans on the mainland. "I'm speechless over Fruit Sister," read one post
on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo that referred to Perry by a local nickname (which she got for wearing a lot of costumes that involve fruit). "I suppose she has no chance to
come to the mainland anymore, though she might not care. These performers who intervene in other countries' politics are the most annoying." zAddressing speculationi that Perry could end up banned from performing in China, user robotcl wrote on Taiwanese site PTT, per Hong Kong's Apple Daily. "It's
impossible for China to ban an American superstar." "That's super fierce, wearing sunflowers and the Taiwanese flag," lostguy wrote approvingly, also on PTT. "No wonder mainland artists say Taiwan has too much freedom of expression." And still others assume that Perry's dress is a nonstarter. "I am laugh-crying at Taiwan anti-China dissidents 'moved to tears' because Katy Perry's stylist accidentally committed her to
their cause," Arthur Chu cracked on Twitter. "'I don't even speak Mandarin. That's what you speak, right?' Katy Perry while unknowingly decked out as a member of Taiwan's Occupy," he added. Chimed in good kid., f.O.b. city: "God
bless Katy Perry. She's now Taiwan's most famous advocate without even knowing it." Perry's Prism World Tour touches down May 1 in Macau and then she's off to the Philippines
and Indonesia.

17 Burning Questions We Still Have About Super Bowl XLIX

Events transpired yesterday during the 2015 Super Bowl that left us wondering a lot of things this morning. There were sharks, balls (both beach and foot), Seahawks coach Pete
Carroll's YOLO play call and Missy Freakin' Elliot reminding us that 2001 was millions of years ago. And that was just some of the s--t that went down on Super Bowl Sunday. Does anyone have answers for us?! 1. Is Rob Gronkowski the bro- iest NFL player who ever bro'd? 2. If Katy Perry was riding the
"More You Know" star, what did she teach us? 3. Also, did Hot Dog on a Stick pay for the outfit tie-in? 4. Why did Pete Carroll call a slant when he had Beast Mode Marshawn Lynch on the one-yard line? 5. Is there anything cuter than Tom Brady celebrating his big win with his wife and kids? 6. Who
would've guessed dancing sharks would be the real Super Bowl MVP? #LeftShark4President 7. Which celeb was paid the most for their commercial appearance? Liam Neeson probably did it for free because he loves mocking his Taken character
so damn much. 8. Tom who? How come we didn't know Julian Edelman was so hot?! 9. Is there anything more heartbreaking than watching Richard Sherman's reaction to
that final interception? 10. Is anyone else obsessed with the fact that the Furious 7 writers have clearly given up on physics? Although it's probably fair to say the writers of the franchise gave up on it a long time ago, right? 11. Are we quite sure Tom Brady's balls weren't deflated? The Seahawks did have to double-check... 12. Speaking of balls, were Katy Perry's beach balls stoned or just really bummed that their beach ball dancing careers were being reduced to this slight bobbing around move? 13. What was with all the heartstring- tugging Super Bowl commercials about dads?! 14. How far has the youth of America fallen that they don't know who Missy
Elliot is? 15. Will we ever get over that Nationwide ad, or will we all forever cower in fear at the thought of insurance due to their dark, depressing commercial? 16. Is everyone else totally game if Jurassic World is just Chris Pratt training raptors for two hours? 17. And finally, did Steven Tyler and Britney
Spears realize how cruel it was to take a reunion photo and remind us what will never be again?! See you next year, sportsball fans. Go athletes!

Katy Perry's Super Bowl Looks: Diamonds, Crystals, That Ponytail--All the Crazy Details!

Four costume switches, one pair of sparkly booties, 20-carat diamond earrings, countless crystals and, of course, that sky- high pony: Yep, sounds like a Katy Perry Super Bowl halftime show! The singer's meme-inspiring performance included four custom-outfits by Jeremy Scott, a designer who frequently
uses pop culture as a point of sartorial inspiration for his namesake brand and as the creative director for Moschino. "That's the thing that's so different from high fashion and
runway clothes. She not only has to perform in it and be able to move and not only do different dance moves, she has to slide down a pole at one point," Scott told Style.com in an
interview about his Super Bowl designs. "It's very challenging for any kind of outfit...to be able to balance all that, as well as hide another look completely under it. We definitely had to stretch our imagination in the working on it compared to a normal runway show situation." So let's break down these
looks one-by-one, shall we? Katy took to the stage belting out her hit single "Roar" while riding a mechanical lion (as you do). The star's fiery two-piece get-up featured 3-D flames jutting from her shoulders, as well as intricate flame detailing on the skirt. We also got a first look at her Custom LaDuca
booties, which featured 12,600 Swarovski crystals (all the better to go with her blinged-out mic--all five of them, that is). Next up was the star's beach ball-inspired crop top and
mini combo, which reminded us of other times Katy has gotten creative with her, er, costume nipple coverings. We also got a better view of Katy's over-the-top hair and beauty look,
including her cascading ponytail (with different lengths of human hair sewn in for volume), exaggerated cat eyes, glitter
eye shadow and wine-red lips. Those diamond and platinum studs rang in at a whopping 20-carats, and are from none other than celebrity jewelry favorite Lorraine Schwartz. For a
surprise appearance by rapper Missy Elliott, Katy changed into a bedazzled hoodie boasting the number "49"--a shout-out to
Super Bowl XLIX, of course. "You can't really bounce around in a beach ball while you're trying to get your freak on, you know," Scott quipped of this design, describing the look as a change to something a little more hip hop. And Katy's final look--a stunning, silvery number with a massive star cut-
out--was actually pulled from a Moschino collection. The one- shoulder, figure-hugging confection featured star embellishments and a high-slit, perfect for the star's big "Firework" finale.

Katy Perry's Dancing Shark Revealed! Meet the Singer's Sexy Super Bowl Backup Dancer

Katy Perry's Super Bowl sharks have been revealed! Since Sunday's big Super Bowl halftime show, it seems like everyone
and their mother is talking about Perry's hilarious backup- dancing sharks. But what you don't know is that one of those
sharks is seriously sexy (we're talking a ripped six-pack and all!). Meet Scott Myrick, one of Perry's backup dancers and BFFs. The pro dancer is blowing up online since taking the
Super Bowl stage in that full-body shark outfit. In addition to sharing pics from the Super Bowl halftime show, Myrick has been taking to Twitter to gush over the internet's reaction to
his and Perry's performance. "I MEAN..... THOSE SHARKS # ONFLEEK," Myrick tweeted, followed by, "And that everyone, is
what it feels like to have your heart explode. I've never been more proud to be a part of something in my life...Tonight was
a feeling and moment in time that I will never, ever forget. Thank you for all the support everyone." Myrick also shared some meme photos of himself in the shark getup. "OMG I
MADE IT RT @SincerelyTumblr: Career Goals," he retweeted one fan. He later added, "Thanks be to Jesus, aka @katyperry for this shark takeover. You called it gurllllll." Meanwhile,
Myrick almost didn't get to don the dancing shark costume at all. He actually took over the role last minute. In a reddit Q&A, one of Myrick's fellow backup dancers revealed, "The sharks were originally supposed to be dancers from Mesa Community College but 2-3 days before the performance Katy decided she
wanted her own people in costume." And the rest is Super Bowl shark history.