Image Source: The Sun, BuzzFeed, Freepik, Vogue
One of the things that has grabbed the attention of people recently, on a massive level, especially from the industry, is "Black fishing." To be clear, black fishing is a type of interpersonal racism that can be harmful even when an individual does not intend to be harmful. It can also be understood as a form of racism, depicting black people as stereotypes and presenting black culture as a product. The term comes from "catfishing," which is the practice of pretending to be a different person or having a different appearance online.
Recently, the conversation of black fishing once again surfaced online when Kim Kardashian was accused of black fishing, and she has now opened up about the same in her interview with i-D Magazine. She said, "She would never do anything to appropriate any culture. But I have in the past gotten backlash for putting my hair in braids, and I understand that. Honestly, a lot of the time it comes from my daughter [North] asking us to do matching hair. And I’ve had these conversations with her that are like, "Hey, maybe this hairstyle would be better on you than on me." Kim also mentioned that she wants her daughter to feel that she can do a hairstyle and not make it that big of a deal either if that’s something that she’s really asking for and really wants.
The beauty mogul added, "But I’ve learned and grown over the years, and figured out good ways to communicate with all my kids about all this. I’ve definitely learned over time, and I’ve tried to pass that culture of learning onto my kids too, but then there’s also a history of braiding hair in Armenia, and people forget that I am Armenian as well." During the interview, she said that she finds it really important for her kids to be kind. She added, "That’s actually one thing I’ve tried to impart to my kids too – I’ve tried to raise kind human beings. None of this matter. So treat everyone with respect and kindness. I think that’s just the goal, honestly."
Kim Kardashian mentioned that people sometimes forget that she is Armenian as well. Image Source: Metro
In the end Kim also addressed the ‘Kimono Controversy’, as well as she mentioned that when SKIMS was Kimono, she accused of ‘Japanese appropriation’, a culture she really admires and added, "It was a really quick decision. I mean, I came up with the Kimono name because it was a play on my name, and because I was so inspired by Japanese culture. To me, it was just paying homage to it, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t being seen that way. I would never intentionally try to appropriate the culture in that way. It wasn’t my intention at all. So I just was like, ‘Okay, shut it down.'"
Kim Kardashian is not the only one who was accused of Black fishing but prior to this, Little Mix’s former band member Jesy Nelson was also accused of Black fishing following the release of her song ‘Boyz’ featuring Nicki Minaj in October. Jesy’s single debut drew attention from the people as fans accused her, a white woman, of Black fishing. The singer spoke to Vulture’s Douglas Greenwood and denied all the rumors of her adopted aesthetics of Black women to launch her solo career. She said, "The whole time I was in Little Mix, I never got any of that. And then I came out of [the band] and people all of a sudden were saying it. I wasn't on social media around that time, so I let my team [deal with it], because that was when I'd just left. But I mean, like, I love Black culture. I love Black music. That's all I know; it's what I grew up on. I'm very aware that I'm a white British woman; I've never said that I wasn't."
Jesy Nelson received a lot of backlash after her debut single 'Boyz' featuring Nicki Minaj was dropped. Image Source: YouTube
Model Gigi Hadid’s May 2018 Vogue Italia cover drew massive backlash from the audience, as her skin tone looked unrecognizable. People were quick to notice that Gigi’s cover shoot had her darkened skin tone and put her into a blackface, a racist practice that was prominent in the 19th century minstrel shows. Gigi later addressed the controversy, stating, "The concerns that have been brought up are valid. I want to address this for those who were offended by the editing/retouching/coloring of the cover. Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different. I want to apologize because my intention is never to diminish those concerns or take opportunities away from anyone else, and I hope this can be an example to other magazines and teams in the future. There are real issues regarding representation in fashion — it's our responsibility to acknowledge those issues and communicate through them to work towards a more diverse industry."
Gigi Hadid’s May 2018 Vogue Italia Cover. Image Source: The Independent
The word "black fishing" hit the public consciousness in 2018 when Toronto-based freelance writer Wanna Thompson started a thread on Twitter. Later, she wrote for Paper Magazine and mentioned, "The thread exposed something that I've known all along – white women want access to blackness but don't want the suffering that comes along with it." She added that Instagram had become "a breeding ground" for white women wanting to capitalize on "impersonating racially ambiguous or black women for monetary and social gain".
Writing for The Guardian, author and activist Mikki Kendall described black fishing as feeling "like blackface, albeit a version updated for the digital age". People believe that black fishing or blackface is culturally insensitive, and these women are clearly ignorant of the historical struggles and difficulties black people face in their everyday lives. It is high time that we learn to love and respect our natural skin tone and stop painting ourselves black or white to fit into our culture’s archetype of beauty.
Other than the mentioned celebrities, Rita Ora, Iggy Azalea, Amelia Hamlin, Bebe Rexha, Kylie Jenner, Addison Rae, are also some of the other celebrities who were accused of black fishing.
