Netizens Argue Whether Upin & Ipin’s Dangdut Music Video Is Too Sexy For Kids

By Ammar Haziq  •  07 Aug 2020 in News

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Les Copaque, the studio behind Upin & Ipin has released a music video of the twin brothers and friends dancing to a song called ‘Goyang Upin Ipin’.

Netizens are divided yet again, as they go back and forth on Twitter as to whether the music video is appropriate for children.

Local motivational speaker, Akhi Fairuz Al-Jengkawi, tweeted accusing Les Copaque of promoting inappropriate dances to children with the release of the music video.

“I don’t understand why @lescopaque would promote the gelek (belly dancing) and dangdut culture to children. There are many other dances from Nusantara that are modest and cultured,” he said.

Saya tak faham kenapa @lescopaque mempromosi budaya gelek dan dangdut kepada kanak-kanak.

Banyak lagi tarian di nusantara ni yang lebih sopan dan berbudaya.

Maaf cakap, video terbaru Upin Ipin ini dah hampir sama level dgn memes/ video yang saya lawan haritu. https://t.co/KRqltijJDZ

— Akhi Fairuz Al-Jengkawi (@akhifairuz_) August 4, 2020

He equated the music video to other memes and videos he previously criticised. He was referencing the time he called out explicit memes of one of Upin & Ipin’s characters, Kak Ros.

One Twitter user countered Akhi’s tweet, saying that culture is a subjective concept depending on the religion, culture and region someone is from, but Akhi remains adamant with his stance.

He worries about the implications of the music video, since it might start a new TikTok trend where kids will dance “sexily” and post it online.

“It was trending on the app last night. There was even a young girl wearing sexy clothes and dancing to the song. This is what I’m worried about,” he said.

Online users kept exchanging their opinions and the implications of said video, with one user saying it could attract pedophiles, and another saying, “Why are little girls perceived as sexy?” Both seem to be valid opinions on the topic, stemming from a sense of concern towards young children.

Another netizen pointed out that it could just be a marketing strategy to use dangdut in the music video, since Indonesia, the birthplace of dangdut, makes up a big portion of the fanbase.

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