December 16, 2022
On the internet, you can be anyone. Behind a screen, no one knows who you are or your history. This can allow many people to express themselves in ways they cannot in real life, which can be beneficial. But when people begin to misuse this privilege, it can cause harm.
Social media users especially take advantage of this privilege, using the safe space of Instagram and Twitter to play dress-up as Black people to gain attention from predominantly-Black online spaces and collaborations.
Blackfishing, coined by journalist Wanna Thompson, is the act of changing one’s appearance and mannerisms to pass as Black. This is not the same as Blackface — in which non-Black people use makeup or skin-darkening products to depict caricatures of Black people — but it is similar in the way the user takes the most blatant cliches and components of Black American culture and turns them into profitable assets for themselves.
For example, Swedish YouTuber and Instagram influencer Emma Hallberg was accused of Blackfishing when photos of Hallberg from previous years, with much paler skin and lighter, straightened hair, were leaked on the internet. Scrolling through her Instagram reveals that as years went by, she turned less of a tan orange-y and continued to get darker and darker, where it went on to the point where several people thought she was biracial or even just monoracial Black.
Furthermore, ex-Little Mix member Jesy Nelson’s solo debut was met with criticism and backlash following the release of her single, “Boyz,” featuring artist Nicki Minaj. Aside from claims that the song was boring and uninspired, critics alleged that Nelson’s image in the video was far from respectful of Black people and culture. In some shots, fans pointed out that she looks even darker than her guest star. This isn’t the only problem, however, as she takes some fetishizing and distasteful stereotypes about the “‘hood” and runs with them, implicitly describing the predominantly Black male dancers and models in her music video as “…so hood, so good, so da** taboo.”
There are so many more examples of this, and the range of these debates are astounding, from Kim Kardashian to Bhad Bhabie to Whoa Vicky to Ariana Grande. It would be fruitless to name them all. Still, so many people are used to the fetishizing treatment of Black culture that it is difficult to point it out to people because of the massive groupthink that exists around “freedom culture” on the internet. What people mean when they invoke “freedom of expression” is the freedom from criticism or disapproval. But just because someone can say or do anything on the internet does not mean that they are free from the consequences of their actions, especially when it harms the group from whom they appropriate.
In the same spirit, it’s not “just a tan” when — multiple times — someone swipes bronzed skin to appear more “exotic.” It’s not just a “joke” to use AAVE to seem cool or exciting, yet disparage people who naturally speak in the dialect. It’s not “cute” to fetishize certain aspects of Black culture to appear cooler or trendy.
Instead, let’s call it what it is: Blackfishing.
Blackfishing can stem from many different things, but one of the most obvious components can come from crossing the line from appreciation to appropriation. Pockets of the Black online community, particularly pages that freely and lovingly post with hashtags like #blackgirlmagic or #blackqueens, seem enticing to the average non-Black influencer as it gives them increased exposure and more opportunities to pocket money by being sponsored or reposted.
“They want that attention,” Thompson said. “I don’t think that [Blackfishing is] okay, but there are people who still give these people the attention they want. Constantly commenting, viewing and supporting or even disliking but still viewing their content gets them the money. The better thing to do is stop viewing them.”
One of the worst parts of the Blackfishing phenomenon is that there is a gross double standard regarding Black culture versus any other one. When Black girls have braids in their hair or speak in AAVE, they’re “ghetto” and “uneducated,” but when the mainstream media adopts these phrases or styles, those same traits are called “stylish” and “trendy.”
This is not okay. Research shows that Black girls and women are at higher risk of mental health issues related to their hair and body as well as lower self-esteem relating to speech due to anti-Black prejudice, yet people Blackfish because it makes them money or gives them attention.
“It’s fine to go on the internet and exaggerate some aspects of yourself. You might be quiet and reserved in person, but you want to dance and express yourself [online]. That’s fine, but [the exaggeration] should only go to a certain extent. Don’t be someone that you’re not,” Thompson said.
When people pick and choose what they want from Black culture, they are usually ignoring the greater effects of racism and bigotry on Black people and usually ignoring the historical context in which these traits are created. Black people don’t have the luxury of taking off their skin and hanging it up on the rack when they’re finished. We can’t even profit off of our bodies and culture because of the rampant commodification of our culture, so when non-Black people appropriate and then make money off of Black culture, it is a huge snub to not only Black people but our history as well.
The issue is not necessarily the Blackfishing itself — however strange the concept may be — but rather the “costume”-ization of Black people, which is harmful since Blackfishers take the superficial aspects of Black culture while ignoring every other aspect to gain likes and subscribers. We must do better in recognizing the effects of appropriation on Black people and aim to be aware of the severe detriments of such occurrences.
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