Naomi Osaka hits back at Japanese comedians’ “too sunburned” comment

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Witty response proves Osaka isn’t just a tennis pro, she’s a marketing queen. 

Last week, Ai Murakami and Aiko Kanou, who make up the Japanese comedy duo A Masso, issued a public apology after they came under fire for their comedy routine, where they said tennis pro Naomi Osaka needed “bleach” for being “too sunburned”.

▼ A Masso

While attendees at the comedy event were appalled by the insensitive comments, Osaka and her management team remained quiet on the issue. That all changed yesterday, though, when Osaka fired back on her official Twitter account with this witty response:

“Too sunburned” lol that’s wild. Little did they know, with Shiseido anessa perfect uv sunscreen I never get sunbur… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@Naomi_Osaka_) September 29, 2019

That’s right – Osaka and her team chose to use the comedians’ comments to their advantage by serving up a plug for Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen. After all, Osaka became a brand ambassador for Shiseido and sang the praises of their Anessa sunscreen in November last year.

View this post on Instagram

So excited to become a new brand ambassador for @shiseido I have sensitive skin, so to have such a lightweight sunscreen like Anessa is perfect for me

A post shared by 大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) on Nov 20, 2018 at 3:31am PST

Like her moves on the tennis court, Osaka’s response was well-timed and perfectly delivered, earning her praise from people around the world, who left adoring comments like:

“Shade, and a product plug in one tweet? Incredible.”
“Best reply!!! Best humor!!! LOVE!!!”
“This response is a masterclass in public relations.”
“Expert level brand ambassador!”
“Classic reply. I’ll never understand why people can’t just focus on talent and nothing else.”

It really is a shame that Osaka’s mixed heritage has become such a talking point in Japan, where she’s often pressed by journalists to speak in Japanese, and was even whitewashed in a commercial for noodle brand Nissin.

However, it is nice to see that regardless of what comes her way, Osaka knows how to return serve with style and class. No wonder big brands like Nissan, Yonex, Citizen and Nike love her. And after her queen-worthy, hair-flick response to those narrow-minded comments on the weekend, we love her even more too!

Source: Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Instagram/naomiosaka
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