The A.S.L. Interpretation of ‘WAP’ Was TikTok Gold. It’s Also a Problem.
The New York Times
A lively American Sign Language interpretation of Megan Thee Stallion’s performance at Lollapalooza flooded social media, reigniting the frustrations of Black deaf content creators.
Raven Sutton, a dancer and American Sign Language performer, stayed up for the midnight release of “WAP,” the raunchy hit by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Ms. Sutton, who is deaf, then spent several hours translating the English into A.S.L., figuring out what signs to use and practicing her flow to match that of the artists’. “The song is very hype,” said Ms. Sutton, 26, from Riverdale, Md. “Women empowerment, being proud of your body, all of that. So I’m trying to figure out in my interpretation, how do I want to express that? I want to be sexy. I want to be able to move my body and show exactly what they’re talking about.” (The interviews between the deaf subjects in this story and the reporter were conducted over video calls on Google Meet with an A.S.L. interpreter.) Ms. Sutton, who later posted her interpretation on social media, is part of a growing community of Black deaf content creators who aim to educate people about deafness, highlight their own community and make music more accessible to deaf audiences.
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