Fashion is fashion, it is purely aesthetic. What I wear should not be controlled...
Right?
Figure 1: Various celebrities in 'Halloween costumes'
Many people are being "called out" for using religious items of clothes, sacred traditional garments or 'blackfishing' as a way to profit. There is a clear difference between appropriation and appreciation of a foreign culture. This blog will explore this differentiation in regards to 'blackfishing'.
What is 'Blackfishing'?
"Blackfishing" is a term coined in the twenty-first century where women or men of white ancestry, use make-up, hair products and tanning to appear as if they have black ancestry [1].
This has become a trend in which many influencers changing their appearance for financial gain and/ or attention. One woman who is guilty of doing this is Emma Hallberg from Sweden. She became well known example in 2018 when followers thought she was black or mixed race but it images surfaced of Emma with lighter skin, straight hair and different facial features.
Figure 2: Emma Hallberg side by side comparison
People got angry, and many voiced their concerns on Twitter [2]. Emma responded:
"I’m NOT ‘posing’ as a coloured person as you claim. I’ve never tried to be or look black. I was born with naturally curly hair and my skin gets very easily tanned in the sun!!” [3]
She is not the only one who has been called out, some celebrities have been guilty of blackfishing such as: Ariana Grande, Rita Ora, the Kardashian-Jenner sisters.
What are 'Culture Vultures'?
Over the years people have noticed many celebrities, especially the Kardashian-Jenner sisters, plagiarised and profited off content stolen from many POC artist as well as POC characteristics. These are 'culture vultures'.
Take Kim Kardashian's makeup brand 'KKWBEAUTY' for example. It includes makeup that tints your body a darker colour. Additionally, in March 2020 Kim Kardashian posted a picture of "...herself on the way to Kanye
West's Yeezy season 8 show, in which she's wearing waist-length braids to "match" daughter North and niece Penelope Disick's hairstyle..." [4].
This became an issue with many people who commenting on Kim's pictures asking why she thinks it is appropriate to have her hair in the style of a culture that has been so oppressed.
The "Kardashian Effect" has also been blamed for an apparent rise in young people seeking cosmetic surgeries. They have seen their idols undergo large amounts of cosmetic surgery and then do the same in order to emulate them [5].
Figure 3: K. West with 'braids'
Why is 'blackfishing' an issue?
It is a form of cultural appropriation.
It is harmful to those who face discrimination on a daily basis for being a race other than white. "'Blackfishers', take advantage of Black features when it's trendy or appealing and often make money off of this, but don’t have to be Black when it's time to face Black issues" [6].
This caused may problems and in the case of Emma Hallberg, as mentioned before she posed a picture during the Black lives’ movement, and over half of the comments are calling Emma out with one person commenting, "this has to be some kinda joke if so i aint laughin'."
Racist Connotation
Blackfishing also has a very dark history with the term blackface. In the ninetieth and twenty century white performers would paint their face and skin black to "...perform racist stereotypes of Black people" [7] (as seen bellow).
Figure 4: example of blackface
Blackface is now considered highly offensive and racist in many countries, especially the United Kingdom and America. However, 'blackfishing' can be comparable to blackface as many people who darken their skin and change their natural features to look comparable to a different race do nothing to help address the problems and ridicule "for naturally having the same aesthetic and belonging to the same culture that they are ignorantly copying" [8].
Conclusion
Blackfishing has caused a lot of problems for many celebrities, influencers and ordinary people around the world but has ceased to stop the rate at which it keeps getting reported. I believe that blackfishing, much like blackface will lose its appeal and become yet another shameful thing that white people have done to black people over the hundreds of years.
References
[3] https://twitter.com/2CsNiccole/status/1064578057573490688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ct
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