Jesy Nelson is the latest celebrity to be accused of blackfishing and, unfortunately, she probably won’t be the last. The likes of Rita Ora, Kim Kardashian and even TikTok queen Addison Rae have been hit with the accusations in the past.
So what exactly is blackfishing and why is it so problematic? The term was partly coined by hip-hop journalist Wanna Thompson and describes the phenomenon of non-Black celebrities and influencers using bronzer, tanning, Photoshop, or even cosmetic surgery to change their looks to appear Black or mixed race.
The word stems from the terms blackface and catfishing. The racist blackface saw people putting on dark makeup to mock Black people, usually for comedic reasoning.
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