To be shocked Ariana Grande is White

[IslandGyal]

I’ve just discovered the new trend of ‘blackfishing’ whereby white celebrities and models try and appear racially ambiguous.

I think it’s more common in the states. However one of the most common examples is Ariana Grande who seems to have almost changed races.

See the picture in this article: medium.com/@abbs664/ariana-grande-blackfishing-d42a8cb726ea

Is anyone else kinda shocked that Grande is a white Italian.

I always assumed she was Latin American or mixed race black. It’s also quite problematic that she appears to tone down her look when it suits by appearing lighter on vogue.

Aibu

Fine-featured mean different things in different places. I took the meaning I know about and have since accepted it's incorrect in this case.

Is that your issue? Is this why you've thrown your toys out of the pram and called me very aggressive and a bully? Is this all you have?

Wow that's insane. I didn't know that!

You're still coming at me. Why

I always thought she was white Italian.

Ingridla, I've commented plenty on the topic.
You could've taken on board what Afromeg said graciously, after all, we're learning all the time. But you chose to go down a sadly predictable path and revealed yourself.

Lol...you wrote something on an open forum, I wrote something back. You wrote to me, I replied you. You claim I'm "coming at you".

You really use high-impact words in such a hyperbolic manner so I'll leave you alone and stop "coming at you". Wouldn't want to be accused of being a stalker or a terrorist next.

I can do this trick too. I'm white with red hair, and blonde eyelashes, but I had a very dark Cypriot grandad, so after a week somewhere close to the equator I can go very caramel, much to everyone's shock who expected me to return with a red nose. I sometimes pencil in my eyebrows too. I'm either really really white and very British looking, or with a tan the colour accentuates my foreign features and I suddenly get asked where I am 'from from'.

I think that means I'm entitled to wear fake tan and darken myself up when I haven't had much sunshine in a while. That's a part of me so why can't I very much embrace it.

I actually didn't realise how much melanin I could make until I started travelling as an adult. It doesn't mean I am trying to be a black person!

My dad had dark hair and was quiet pale skinned but he only had to look at a photo of the sun and go very dark. When abroad people always assumed he was Italian or Spanish.

I think you're being unfair. I live in Italy and lots of people here have her colouring. White to black is a spectrum and southern Italians are on the darker end of that spectrum. My friend from Libanon always comments that she feels very at home here in Italy, she blends in, because she is from a place roughly the same distance from the equator and shares the same colouring. Sicilians are basically falling into the middle Eastern/north African category. There are huge swathes of 'white' people who don't neatly fit into a category, because when we say white, we really mean white people of European decent. That leaves a heck of a lot of people out of the definition.

I always assumed she was Cuban or Mexican. I'm surprised to hear she's Italian American.

I agree that's she appropriating black culture (I'm white).

Not sure why you're getting the snarky comments OP!

@IslandGyal - does it matter?
She is a successful woman.
Why does her colour matter to you so much? 🤷🏻‍♀️
She might prefer her current appearance - why do you always have to pick on someone rather be proud of who you are and others would like to look like you...

OP I’m pleased to see there’s someone even more fuddy duddy than I am. My DDs told me she just uses a lot of fake tan. They were surprised I was so hopelessly confused and they still bring it up a few years down the line. They’ve totally sussed it and accepted it. They’re young teens. Get on with the times.

PS I should make clear that we adore Ariana in our household.

Blackfishing is a recently-coined term which describes people who pretend to be black by using makeup, hair products, and surgery.

Is that not just black-facing?! Minstrels etc..

I confess I haven’t read the whole thread but has she pretended she is black?

I never thought she was.

@SeeReverse

I don't understand why some people are being so snarky to the OP. I agree - I thought Ariana Grande was mixed race black. It really surprises me to see those contrasting pics of her! I honestly would never have imagined her to be so pale-skinned.

Yeh, I agree.

My dad started out a blond hair and fair skinned child, when he got older, his melanin changed and he was dark as this person and his hair became naturally deep dark brown. Some people melanin can change like that

I think that picture of her is edited badly by someone to make her skin darker as her white trousers have brown on them and I can’t imagine any stylist letting her walk a red carpet with stained trousers.

It's worth googling melanin map.

I've never thought of AG as anything but white

@Holeinthehouse it has been edited. Someone posted a picture up thread of her on the same night looking a lot paler.

‘I always assumed she was Cuban or Mexican. I'm surprised to hear she's Italian American.’

The small indigenous Cuban population was wiped out. White Cuban people are of Spanish descent, which is right by Italy.

Nobody complaining about Eminem appropriating black culture?

I get what you're saying but I think she's just a product of her environment really. The music industry is still so racially polarised in the US, like everything else really. I was confused about the whole thing with Halsey, who actually is a woman of colour (her dad is mixed) but was told she couldn't identify as such because she wasn't black enough. Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift have been accused of hijacking black culture as and when they feel it works for them but I believe they're called 'Beckys', I guess you could also call Ariana a Becky. Probably says something about the huge success that black female musicians have had, Beyonce, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B. It's possible that Ariana wants to appeal to the Latin market also and she'd better achieve that if she looks like she could be of Latin origin.

My dad as a young boy vs. my dad about 14 years ago. No dye don't know if he is tanned , he is a car mechanic so he worked indoor most of the time