Blackfishing - what is that actually?Definition & examples

The term appears more and more often in social media and the topic is hotly debated: Blackfishing.Blackfishing refers to a method in which white people make up, style or otherwise change visually so that they are black or.cannot stage non-white.The activist Rebekah Hutson speaks of a "racist beauty trend" on her blog "Only Black Girl".

So far, this has apparently been observed primarily in women who, for example, bring about darker skin color through make-up or solarium, dye the hair dark and fall back on hairstyle and fashion trends, especially from African-American culture.Some of the beauty surgery and a change in language and expression are added.White deceive a non -existent black origin.

The term is based on the stitch of the "Catfishing".In Catfishing, one person creates a fake online identity, for example on dating sites, to annoy, cheat or expose other people.

Is Blackfishing the same as blackfacing?

Blackfishing appears similar to the so -called black facing, but is usually differentiated from it because the two terms are used in different contexts and because blackfishing is a relatively new phenomenon.Blackfacing refers primarily to theater and film when a white actor puts on black to embody a role.Blackfacing comes from the racist "Minstrel shows", in which blacks were caricatured and disparaged.

Blackfishing takes place outside of stages and is part of how a person is perceived by their environment.In particular, Blackfishing is about so -called cultural appropriation, i.e. parts of a culture are adapted by members of another culture.This is particularly problematic because in the case of blackfishing, white people acquire parts of African -American culture, the members of which have long been systematically suppressed and are still often discriminated against today.

Why is Blackfishing problematic?

The Swedish model Emma Hallberg is according to its own statement.On her Instagram channel, however, she is a black person.That brought her a lot of criticism.Photo: Screenshot from Instagram.Com/Eememhallberg, Katrin Klingschat, 04.03.2021

Blackfishing is not only problematic because white people use their advantage of elements from black cultures, but also because these elements are fetishized.African-American hip-hop culture is taken up particularly often.

The motifs for blackfishing are not entirely clear, after all, accused people deny the allegations.However, it can be assumed that a certain image should be marketed.You want to be cooler and more successful, for example by using elements of the black hip-hop scene in order to increase your own range.Rebekah Hutson expresses it as follows: "Being black has always been popular, black people were not."

Black women in particular are reduced to clichéds, superficial characteristics: full lips, round buttocks, curvy figure, curly hair.

However, being black, however, is, as the Black-Lives-Matter-Proteste worldwide, made clear again last year, also associated with racism and discrimination.Blackfishing ignores and mocked the reality of the life of black people.

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Stars or influencers such as Shirin David, Emma Hallberg, Iggy Azalea, Ariana Grande or the Kardashians are accused of wanting to be overstriped like a costume and treat it like an accessory. Popstars, Models und Influencerinnen wollen damit wohl auch durch vermeintliche „Exotik" auffallen und Reichweite gewinnen.This also applies if white characteristics of other cultures want to acquire.Ariana Grande is accused of staging herself as Latina, even though she is not.

Rebekah Hutson writes on her blog: "It is not just about that we want to have our cultures for ourselves, but about whites want to take the parts of the black, which they like while they also exclude black people."

For comparison: singer Ariana Grande 2011 (left, photo: Tinseltown/Shutterstock) and Ariana Grande 2018 (right, photo: Lev Radin/Shutterstock)

Where does Blackfishing start?

The problem with debates about cultural appropriation is always that culture is understood as something clearly defined.That's not the case. Kultur ist kein abgeschlossener Kreis und kann selten in ein „Außen" und „Innen" geteilt werden.

After all, many outfit or some hairstyles could simply be cultural appreciation.

Tanned skin is certainly not a blackfishing and full lips or a curvy figure are not only reserved for black women.But when characteristics are added that are traditionally common in black cultures when these characteristics are piling up and especially if these elements are used for their own advantage to market or lift themselves, then the suspicion of blackfishing is obvious.Especially when a white person can be thought to be a black one at first glance and if the person also puts it on it.