Isn't Shakira's song “Gypsy” plain offensive in English?

Yes. The word gypsy is a slur — it refers to the various tribes of the Roma people who came from a region near modern-day India. read more

Gypsy has also come to mean free-spirited, but again, it's referring to a nomadic group of people who migrated from place to place and it's tied to a host of other harmful stereotypes. So yes, this song is essentially lyrics perpetuating racist stereotypes about a group of people. read more

"Gypsy" was released as the fourth and final single from Shakira's eighth studio album, She Wolf (2009). "Gypsy" was written by Shakira, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, and produced by Shakira, Ghost, Lukas Burton and Future Cut. read more