When it comes to adapting your skin tone towards playing a different race, there’s a fine line between paying homage and blackface.
But, how do you determine whether a person has crossed that line or not?
Daily Loud recently took to their Twitter page to bring attention to an Asian TikToker who had painted her face brown in order to showcase her make up skills in turning herself into the late, great basketball player for the LA Lakers, Kobe Bryant.
They wrote, “Woman disturbingly recreates Kobe Bryant, people are calling it ‘blackface’.”
In the 15-second video, the TikToker, @easy_baobo, could be seen using prosthetic make up and paint to turn herself into a somewhat splitting image of Kobe Bryant.
She also not only painted her face brown, but also her neck and hands for a more complete look.
While there were some who were offended by her portrayal, a majority of people have since taken to the post to defend the make up artist, as they believe her intentions were to pay tribute to the legendary basketballer, instead of to dehumanise the African or African American community.
While we do believe her intentions are pure, we genuinely hope that this doesn’t open up an avenue for people to commit blackface while insincerely using the excuse of ‘paying tribute’.
You can check out her video here:
Watch on TikTok
What do you think? Is @easy_baobo‘s video a form of insult or a touching homage to the late, great Kobe Bryant?
Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: M’sian Singer Uses Brownface In Music Video, Defends His Choice Despite Backlash
