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| “Not Pretty, But It’s Me”: Jane Zhang Defends Tour Poster Amid Backlash (Weibo) |
The poster in question, promoting Jane’s 2024 concert tour Chase, was met with a fair bit of heat from netizens soon after its release. Critics called it “scary”, “too intense”, and even “unflattering”, pointing fingers at the heavy makeup, vein-like artwork around her eyes and forehead, and the dramatic concept overall.
Things escalated when a staff member from her team snapped back at fans—earning a swift apology from Jane’s studio and more questions from the public.
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Now, on 13 June, Jane Zhang herself has broken the silence, giving a thoughtful, poetic response that reframes the whole design.
“The tour’s called Chase,” she began. “Electric light and flint—that flash of speed—I’ve always wanted that, but never quite reached it. Still, there’s another kind of speed: quantity. Every single thing I’ve done over these past 20 years—that’s the real speed I already have.”
And as for the poster? It wasn’t random.
Jane Zhang shared that the vein-like makeup drawn around her eyes and forehead was inspired by a personal ritual: snapping photos of the veins in her own eyes after long nights without sleep.
“It’s something I’d wanted to do for years, but never actually tried until now,” she said. “It’s based on the real veins on my face—my own little proof of how far I’ve come.”
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She went on to say the design was a symbolic self-portrait of her two-decade-long journey in the industry, and while she understands that not everyone will love the look, that’s okay.
“Maybe I don’t have the strongest sense of conventional ‘beauty’,” Jane admitted. “But I still think it’s cool. It might not be pretty in the usual way, but it represents me. Twenty years of highs, lows, risks, and hard work—all there on that poster. It’s my report card, and I’m proud of it.”
That said, Jane’s not ignoring her fans. She also revealed that she’s gone ahead and shot a new version of the poster—something she hopes will lift her supporters’ spirits. But she’s not tossing the original. Instead, both posters will coexist, showing two sides of the same story: the version that’s raw and real, and the one that connects better with her audience.
In typical Jane fashion, the whole situation has turned into something far more personal and artistic than a mere PR clean-up. Whether you love the poster or hate it, one thing’s clear: Jane Zhang’s never been one to play it safe.