Blackfishing, Controversial Trend When People Pretend To Be Black

Bebe Rexha (Instagram @beberexha)

JAKARTA - Singers Bebe Rexha and Doja Cat sang their latest song, Baby I'm Jealous at the 2020 American Music Awards which was held on Sunday, November 22.

At first glance, there is nothing wrong with this appearance. The two of them sing together the song without interruption. However, when it was performed live, not a few netizens were surprised by Bebe Rexha's appearance.

People know, Bebe Rexha is a white woman. But they started questioning her skin color now. Not a few of them called Bebe Rexha doing Blackfishing.

What is Blackfishing?

Blackfishing is a term for those who change their skin color to a dark color. Usually, blackfishing is done to make their skin look more exotic. Even though this action is said to injure black people.

Quoting Dara Thurmond, a nurse from New York who was vocal on the issue of Blackfishing, said that black people are always underestimated. White people who try to be like black don't know the struggles black women go through to accept their condition.

“Even for some jobs, black women can't use their natural hair. They have to press their hair until it becomes straight, when using braids or afro, people will see it as unclean or untidy. " he told BBC International.

Why Is Someone Blackfishing?

Changing something in their everyday appearance might make a person wonder why they want to do this. Quoting Health, psychologist LaToya Graines said there were several reasons behind this.

Insecure or insecurity is one of the main reasons. He said, when someone wants to adopt another identity, it is because they are dissatisfied with their identity and believe someone else's identity is much more attractive.

They also see opportunities for advancement when transforming into other identities. Especially in the world of entertainment, there are many people who represent this world. Many black musicians have achieved success. For example there are Beyonce and Rihanna.

"Wanting to get something by duplicating oneself as someone else to get this job, this money, this opportunity, and that identity can get someone to get it," says psychiatrist Gail Saltz.

Blackfishing can also be described as a way of marketing someone to see black people as aesthetic and trying to sell them. According to Gaines, blackfishing is not the right way to express a sense of solidarity with blacks.

Bebe Rexha Not the First

Bebe Rexha's case is not the first. There are countless number of public figures who do blackfishing.

The singer, Rita Ora, was bullied by netizens for using her hair from cornrows to afro, even though she is white. Ariana Grande is also said to have done blackfishing throughout her musical career.

The climax was when he released the album thank u, next and released a music video with Nicki Minaj, an African rapper. Grande's skin looks a lot darker than Minaj's but when shooting for magazines, her skin is always a bright color.

Inside the July issue, @ArianaGrande shares details of her difficult and transformative past year with Vogue: https://t.co/FociKiCJnD pic.twitter.com/teENfb8HfQ

- British Vogue (@BritishVogue) June 4, 2018

K-pop group MAMAMOO also came under fire after dyeing their faces dark colors while singing Mark Ronson's and Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk songs at their concert.

Through their official statement, MAMAMOO said they wanted to imitate Bruno Mars' style but fans said their treatment did not respect other races even though their music adopted black people's music.

Singer Agnez Mo is also thought to be doing blackfishing. By changing his hairstyle and darkening his skin tone, netizens often ask Agnez Mo to stop imitating black people.

Meanwhile, Bebe Rexha, who had called herself a white woman in the past, did not comment on this controversy. Fans tried to defend him saying it was a lightning effect on the stage when he performed.