What is blackfishing?
The term blackfishing is used when an individual is accused of emulating a black or mixed-race person using makeup, hair products or surgery to change their appearance. The term was coined by Wanna Thompson in 2018 when she noticed white celebrities and influencers were “cosplaying as black women”.
More recently former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson has been making headlines for doing exactly that. In December 2020, Nelson departed from the girl band and went on to pursue a solo career. Her much awaited debut single “Boyz” was released in October this year and featured rapper Nicki Minaj. The song dictates Nelson’s self-proclaimed pattern of going after rebellious men, whilst sampling the well-known 2001 track “Bad Boy for Life” by Diddy, who even made a cameo in the music video.
Whilst Jesy saw the song as her chance to be her “authentic self” and go back to her musical roots of R&B and Hip-hop, the topic of discussion was her drastic appearance. The video displayed Jesy adopting what looked like the caricature of a black woman; darkened skin, a big curly wig, plumped up lips and grills. When standing alongside Nicki Minaj, a black woman, Nelson’s skin tone was darker. She claimed it was the result of the Antiguan sun, as she had been holidaying there for three weeks prior to shooting the video. Additionally, Nelson attributes her hair texture to her genetics which she claims she inherited from her father. For the video she claims to have worn a wig that emulates her natural hair in order to reduce constant heat usage.
In response to the outrage, she said: “My intention was never ever to offend people of colour with the video” instead she wanted to “celebrate 90s/00s R&B” an era of music she loves. Nelson and Minaj took to Instagram live to give their take on the story. Minaj profusely defended Jesy and branded the backlash as “disingenuous” as no one had brought this issue to the limelight until now, however, this is unequivocally false.
Nelson has sported a history of problematic behaviour. In 2018 she was called out for cultural appropriation after wearing her hair in dreadlocks and in her last music video appearance with Little Mix, “Sweet Melody”, she received the same complaints. Her appearance led her to trend on Twitter and had individuals questioning her ethnic origin, many of who only discovered she was of English descent. This led to a detailed BuzzFeed article which documented her changed appearance since joining Little Mix back in 2011.
With that being said, this is a repetitive problem the music industry has faced. When white artists enter the world of rap, hip-hop, and R&B they feel compelled to change their outer appearance to fit the so-called “image".
When Ariana Grande burst onto the scene as the lovable Cat Valentine from Victorious, she quickly turned into music’s biggest female pop star. Notorious for her whistle-tone register her initial image was more girly and palatable to pre-teens. Then, there was a sudden shift in gears when she transitioned from pop to a more R&B and trap sound. On songs such as “Side to Side” and “7 Rings”, Grande looked without a doubt unrecognisable. At the height of her fame Grande, like Nelson was even darker than a black woman. Some may argue this is due to her Italian roots, but from looking at the imagery it’s safe to say that’s not true. This is another clear example of capitalising on black features when selling this genre of music.
Furthermore, if this was her natural skin shade then how does it miraculously vanish in time for a vogue shoot? These changes in appearance make people think that dark skin is good enough to sell records yet still not be the standard of beauty in regard to high fashion cover shoots? It again reiterates the rhetoric that you can pick and choose skin features like toppings at Pinkberry. Unfortunately, this is a privilege only a select few are afforded.
Iggy Azalea has also come under fire for her appearance. Iggy was met with great resistance at the beginning of her career as many denounced her use of a “blaccent”.
The Australian rapper whose known for her number 1 hit “Fancy” could not evade controversy when she released her music video for “I am the strip club”. Many were quick to call her darkened skin offensive and accused her of blackfishing. Iggy seemly brushed off the allegation and stated: “I’m the colour I always am, just in a dimly lit room with red lights”.
This lack of awareness is another point of contention when we cannot have an honest conversation. It should go without saying that this transformation is not because of poor lighting but excessive tanning.
So, what is the big issue?
This behaviour is to many, especially black women insulting and quite frankly a slap in the face because for artists like Jesy Nelson and Iggy Azalea blackness is a costume. At a moments notice it can be put on and taken off. Many black women have been torn down for simply existing in their own skin. For centuries western society has mocked black features, from hair texture and lip size to body shape. On the contrary, white artists are being praised for looking “tanned” and “exotic”. In today’s society it seems the more racially ambiguous you look the more attractive you are. It seems to be a roundabout way of saying “you can look black, but not too black”.
How can society tell black artists like former X-Factor winner, Alexandra Burke to bleach their skin in order to be successful, yet allow white artists to build their careers on a bad imitation of blackness.
Nelson’s former bandmate Leigh- Anne Pinnock said: “Capitalising on aspects of blackness without having to endure the daily realities of the black experience is problematic and harmful to people of colour".
Can there be cultural appreciation without appropriation?
Of course, in a world today that is so interconnected we are bound as humans to have many interests outside our own cultures. I think there is a way to achieve this in a respectful manner. There are many artists that showcase their love for R&B music while remaining their true selves. For example, JoJo, Joss Stone or Natasha Bedingfield are women that just love to sing and have never resorted to changing their appearance to sell records. I do not believe Nelson will be the last artist to do this, but I think white artists should be understanding and receptive when receiving this feedback. It is ok to love R&B, rap and hip-hop and be yourself when doing it.
Edited by Callum Sinclair (Sub-editor) and Charlotte Lewis (Editor-in-Chief)
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