That came from the time of slavery.” Essentially, digital blackface is a virtual, contemporary form of the racist shows, Dogan says. “Black women are seen as hypersexual, angry, and as breeders. Those ideas came from minstrel shows,” among other things, Dogan explains. “Today, Black men are seen as angry, aggressive, and violent. In the early 19th century, it became a popular form of entertainment for white performers to paint their faces Black and mimic the likeness of Black people for all-white audiences, Dogan says.
Yes, you can trace the nature of digital blackface all the way back to minstrel shows. “It is modern-day minstrelsy,” says Kirk. And by participating, you are reinforcing the pervasive, negative stereotypes about what it means to be a Black person. So again, while these videos might seem like just another fun way to engage with social media, they’re very harmful. For example, when Black women see non-Black people being valued for emulating trends or characteristics made popular by Black women, but they themselves do not obtain that same recognition, it can negatively impact mental health, Kirk says.
These stereotypes can impact Black women more than any other demographic, Kirk explains. “ are making the stereotype come to life,” says Kirk. “In order to put on the voice of a Black woman, they feel like they also have to put on an entire performance as well, which is often quite offensive,” explains Alexis Williams, a TikTok creator with over 200,000 followers and an engineering student at New York University who has written in-depth digital blackface use amongst Gen Z.īasically, with TikTok, the combination of video and audio takes blackface to a whole new level, says Keri Kirk, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital. This exaggerated, hostile perception is particularly pervasive on TikTok, where many white and non-Black creators pair audio featuring Black voices with hyperbolic expressions and gestures in a manner they’re promoting as “comedic” but really isn’t. “Digital blackface is when non-Black people use the images and voices of Black individuals to explain emotions or phenomena,” says Jardin Dogan, MEd, EdS, a counselor and educator specializing in Black mental health and creator of the popular Instagram account “It’s when people use images to claim Black identity, but they don’t identify as Black.”Īs innocent as sharing these images may seem, digital blackface is problematic because it perpetuates negative stereotypes about Black people-namely that they’re typically overly-animated, loud, aggressive, angry, hypersexual, and much more, Dogan explains. Here's why you should be more conscious of your online choices, so that you don’t cause more damage: What is digital blackface? If you’re confused, curious, or currently cringing over your texts and timeline, you’re in the right place. So while you may think you're being funny, you might be inadvertently promoting stereotypes of Black people in the process. Picture popular trends like the “material girl” song, or the sound that features Cardi B yelling “what was the reason,” or the TikTok creator saying “it must be nice.” While these popular videos aren’t inherently negative, they become damaging when non-Black people use them as a means to be expressive in a way they wouldn’t normally exhibit in real life. It’s a major phenomenon on TikTok and Instagram Reels, too, specifically when it comes to the use of viral, trending audio featuring the voices of Black people being co-opted by non-Black people. If you’re not Black, using popular GIFs-like Stanley from The Office rolling his eyes, Raven-Symoné chewing her gum at high-speed, or Michael Jordan sobbing-actually means you're partaking in something called digital blackface, which has become increasingly common with the rise of social platforms and digital media.Īnd nope, GIFs and memes aren’t the only way people commit digital blackface, either. In response, you send a quick reaction GIF, since GIFs encompass your feelings better than any text could (especially when they’re of someone as witty as Nicki Minaj or RuPaul). POV: Your friend said something in the group chat that you think is hilarious.
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