Rina Yang’s VMAs 2022 win tarnished by braids debate on social media

Taylor Swift cleaned up at the MTV VMAs 2022 taking home awards in the Best Longform video, Best Direction, and Video of the Year categories for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”.

The “You Belong With Me” hitmaker descended on the stage with the team behind the epic 10-minute music video which was released ‘From the Vault’ last November.

Accompanying Swift on stage was cinematographer Rina Yang, whose creative imaginings painted the music video with autumnal colours. But while Yang’s work with Swift was being celebrated, a number of disappointed fans shared their thoughts on Rina Yang’s braid hairstyle, some deeming it inappropriate for Yang to have.

Who is Rina Yang?

Rina Yang is a Japanese-Korean British cinematographer who was worked extensively in television, music videos, and commercials. She grew up in Japan but currently is based in London.

Yang is the first Asian woman be accepted into the British Society of Cinematographers as a fully accredited member. She made the announcement to be joining the BSC earlier this year in June. “Had I not seen a woman DPing when I was a runner onset I would never have dreamt of becoming a cinematographer. Visibility and representation matter,” Yang wrote in an Instagram post.

Rina Yang was also selected for the BAFTA Breakthrough 2020. 

Rina Yang’s cinematography work goes beyond All Too Well

Rina Yang has worked with a number of high-profile musicians besides Taylor Swift. Her credited work with artists is like reading a run-down of the biggest names working in music. Some of the artists Rina Yang has collaborated with include Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Dua Lipa, SZA, Bjork, Rita Ora, Charli XCX, and FKA Twigs.

But Rina Yang’s work is not limited to cinematography music videos. Yang served as the cinematographer on the sixth episode of Euphoria season 2.

Some of Yang’s other credits include Flint Strong, Top Boy, and Sitting In Limbo.

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Taylor Swift praises the All Too Well team at the MTV VMAs 2022

Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” was nominated for a number of prizes at the MTV VMAs 2022, taking home three. The music video was also nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

Taking to the stage to claim her win, Taylor Swift brought the “All Too Well” team with her and told the crowd:

“I had never made a short film below and so I want to first start out by saying thank you to Sadie Sink, Dylan O’Brien, my amazing cinematographer Rina Yang, my producer Saul Germaine, and the rest of our incredible crew for trusting me, for lending me their brilliance, their talent, their time.”

VMAs viewers share their opinion on Rina Yang’s braids

Even before Rina Yang ascended the MTV VMAs stage with Taylor Swift to celebrate their win, the cinematographer was facing online backlash over her hairstyle. Swift had shared a video of herself, Yang, and “All Too Well” star Dylan O’Brien in their red carpet-ready outfits to TikTok.

With over 13.5 million TikTok followers, the video of the “All Too Well” team went viral. As of publication date, the video has over 15.8 million views and over 4.2 million likes. A number of disappointed fans commented on Rina Yang’s braids on both Taylor Swift’s TikTok video and on Twitter.

One Twitter user commented, although mistakenly calling Yang the director rather than cinematographer: “Need to talk about why Taylor Swift’s director had box braids as an Asian woman.”

Another wrote: “Did Taylor Swift think her bestie was gonna slide with them braids in her hair? I hope she knows everyone’s livid about it and it’s weird to see her with it on… like she thought it was ok to wear them at the VMAs.”

The Focus has reached out to Rina Yang’s representatives for comment.

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