#trending: Milkshake singer Kelis posts video of women in Singapore touching her hair without consent

SINGAPORE — American R&B singer Kelis Rogers-Mora or Kelis, best known for her 2003 hit Milkshake, shared a video to her Instagram account last Saturday (Oct 22) of two women in Singapore touching her braided hair without her consent.

In the video, taken at the Pearl's Hill 34 coffee shop in Chinatown, two Chinese women who appear to be working at the coffee shop are seen touching and playing with the black singer's waist-length braids as she looks into the camera with a resigned stare.

The two comment on her hair in amazed tones in Mandarin, wondering if it is real and marvelling at its length. At one point, Kelis turns and touches the hair of one of the women as well.

One of the woman asks Kelis if the hair is real, says "Wow!" and gives the singer a thumbs-up gesture.

The pair go on to continue caressing the braids as Kelis turns back to her friend taking the video with a look of disbelief and a shrug.

"Just embrace it," her friend said with a laugh.

"Oh, I like to be touched," she replies sarcastically.

Kelis posted the video on Instagram last Saturday with the caption: "I don't even know what to say here."

Social media users, however, had a lot to say. Her Instagram post has since garnered 3,100 comments, with many appalled by the incident. The video was also reposted by media company The Shade Room, gathering another 11,900 comments.

One top comment, acknowledged by Kelis, read: "I’m glad you grabbed her hair but clearly, they didn’t understand how ridiculous it is to touch a stranger."

Some black people also shared similar experiences of their own in Asia, putting the women's behaviour down to a "lack of self-awareness" and cultural differences around personal space.

Some Singaporeans noted in the comments that such behaviour is not common here, and that the two women were most likely not locals judging by their accents.

User "aloverasoo" commented: "So sorry you had to encounter that ... Those from Singapore usually are more reserved in touching (because) there are laws against harassment — that includes touching."

Other people, though, were not convinced, stating: "They knew what they were doing.

"Look at her response when Kelis touched her hair, she didn't like it."

Regardless of the reasoning behind the incident, many commended the singer on handling the situation with grace.

Still, she had her own critics as well — another camp felt that she should have set clear boundaries on the spot.

Allowing them to "treat her like an animal at a petting zoo" only perpetuates the idea that such behaviour is acceptable, they said.

Kelis then took to the comments section to explain that she felt the women were genuine in their admiration. She had also held back partly because she was in a foreign country.

"First, I was caught off-guard," she wrote. "Second, they were enamoured, as they should be.

"I don't like being touched and if we were in the (United) States or Europe, my reaction would have been different."

Kelis added: "Sometimes I have to remind myself, it's a lot to see if you have never seen it.

"And whether it comes from racism, ignorance, love or something else, it doesn't change who I am."

Kelis was last in Singapore over the Formula One weekend earlier this month for a performance at the Mandala Weekender party.