In a society in which white people have privilege and an easier time getting opportunities, one would wonder why someone would want to be black. People of color are often looked down upon and struggle getting head simply because the color of their skin. This is why twitter users were shocked when it was revealed that many social media influencers were posing as black, a practice that is so common it’s been dubbed “blackfishing” as in catfishing.
Caucasian influencers have been using this new form of blackface. Some use fillers and botox to enhance their features, perm their hair or get braids, and darken their skin. They then use their “racial ambiguity” to enhance their career and get a larger following and more brand deals. When it was revealed that these influencers are actually Caucasian they use the defense that they never explicitly claimed to be black.
Twitter user WannasWorld was the one who made the realization and then created a thread of influencers that have been “blackfishing” their followers. The practice is more used than one would think and it shocked many.
This use of blackface is shocking because in a time where racism is so prevalent, these people seem to want the “good parts” of being black, such as the features and beauty and clout but would never actually want to go through the everyday struggles people of color have to face such as the racism and discrimination. These influencers are also benefiting from things that some real black influencers get looked down upon for.
The beauty and social media industry has been known to favor white influencers. Representation is not prevalent in the industry and it has been hard for black influencers to break ground in the industry and get a following and brand deals. If brands want diversity and people of color they need to use influencers who are actually of color and not those who are “blackfishing” their followers.
These influencers also don’t see what’s wrong with what they did. This is essentially a new form of blackface and making a caricature out of black people. White influencers need to stop trying to profit off of the “good” side of being black and brands need to start supporting actual black influencers.