She's not backing down. Ten days after Selena Gomez first offended some Hindus by wearing a bindi on her forehead during her Bollywood-inspired performance of "Come and Get It" at the MTV Movie Awards on Apr. 14, the Spring Breakers star again sported the religious symbol for an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman.
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According to E!, Rajan Zed, leader of the Universal Society of Hinduism, issued a statement after her MTV performance, saying "The bindi on the forehead is an ancient tradition in Hinduism and has religious significance…. It's not meant to be thrown around loosely for seductive effects or as a fashion accessory aiming at mercantile greed. Selena should apologize and then shse should get acquainted with the basics of world religions."
Instead of apologizing, the 20-year-old singer trotted out her bindi again the very next day, on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Dancing With the Stars. And on Wednesday, Apr. 24, singing on the Letterman stage, she again flaunted the religious decoration on her forehead.
During an interview with Elvis Duran on the Z100 morning show that same day, the singer finally responded to the criticism. "I think the song has that Hindu, tribal feel and I wanted to translate that," Selena explained. "I've been learning about my chakra and bindis and the culture ... It's beautiful." (For the record, both Madonna and Gwen Stefani wore bindis in videos and photo shoots during the late '90s.)
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This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Selena Gomez Wears Bindi for 4th Time Despite Controversy