Pop Culture Recap: Public figures challenge online controversies

Viral content ignites global online discussions
Byline photo of Alyssa Reign Pontines
By Alyssa Reign Pontines, Staff Writer
Feb 4, 2025
Pop Culture Recap: Public figures challenge online controversies
THE MIRROR | Graphic by Maya Diaz
‘Is That Hyperpigmentation?’

Back in May of 2019, a video of user Sonia Tiebi blew up of her showing her daughter’s portrait of her. The picture featured a hilariously endearing caricature of Tiebi, with a deformed head shape, an unfinished ponytail and a black spot on the cheek referred to as “hyperpigmentation” by Tiebi. Both Tiebi and her husband are seen trying to hold back their laughter, but Tiebi does her best to encourage and compliment her daughter.

@ldramts they gets the vibe of #hyperpigmentation #itsperfect #pigmentation ♬ Bitter Sweet Symphony – Remastered 2016 – The Verve

Over the years, many reposts were seen across the internet, most notably on TikTok. Reposts would gain millions upon millions of views, further boosting the popularity of the meme. Within the last month, the meme has resurged on TikTok with users recreating the drawing in their styles and parodies.

Karla Sofía Gascón Cancelled

Karla Sofía Gascón, best known for her role as the protagonist in the musical crime film Emilia Pérez (2024), has recently been exposed for prejudiced views on Muslims and diversity. On January 30, 2025, X (formerly known as Twitter) user @KindaHagi posted images of posts Gascón made in 2020 and 2021 showing blatant Islamophobic comments. Hagi criticized Gascón’s hypocrisy for advocating to win an Academy Award for her role in an otherwise progressive film, despite all the hateful comments Gascón made herself. Gascón’s posts have since been removed from her account.

On Feb 2, 2025, Gascón would appear on a CNN TV interview refuting the claims of her racism and Islamophobia, stating “I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime nor have I harmed anyone. I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”

Charli xcx’s ‘white powder’ vinyl

Musical artist Charli xcx, popular for her promotional stunts for her 2024 album ‘brat’ and popular internet term ‘brat Summer,’ reveals a vinyl disk featuring a limited edition remix of her popular album. However, the vinyl itself contained white powder inside of it, which can be easily recognizable as cocaine.

While the record does not contain actual cocaine, Charli’s fans joked about snorting the white powder. The vinyl itself is an artistic representation of Charli’s music and its association with a ‘reckless youthful life.’ Even through this, the design choice has been met with criticisms, stating that  “drugs aren’t a joke.”

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About the contributor
Alyssa Reign Pontines
Alyssa Reign Pontines, Staff Writer
Alyssa Pontines is a first-year staff writer who works under the Arts and Entertainment section for The Mirror. She has survived 12 years of compulsory education despite her true aspirations lying within the creative industry as an artist. As Van Nuys High School does not offer creative writing classes, she pursues mastering her storytelling skills independently. She primarily works with narrative fiction in her projects, preferring character-driven works over plot-driven ones. Much of her art portfolio consists of original anime-styled artworks as she finds drawing in a realistic style not much fun. Her current inspirations include Vocaloid and Japanese-EDM songs, graphic novels, animated shows and the rhythm game “Arcaea.” In the future, she plans on entering the art industry and specializing in either game design or concept art. If things go well enough, she wants to start a graphic novel or visual novel series of her own.
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