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

‘This is the point of white supremacy though. It assigns status based on a perception of race, sometimes quite arbitrarily. A Sicilian and an Iranian might well look very alike, but the former has been granted whiteness while the latter has not. As such a Sicilian is situated higher on the racial hierarchy and will not face racism in the way an Iranian may well, once both heritages are known.’

So stop trying to perpetuate white supremacy by constantly dividing people up into very narrow ethnic groups and insisting people behave and appear in stereotypical ways, when most people no longer care about white supremacy and moved on decades ago.

The damage this movement to keep separating people out is doing is turning back all the attempts society had made to move beyond that.

I agree with @JayDot500 - it’s not that she’s trying to mislead people like that American academic who literally pretended to be black, it’s that she gets to pick and choose the “benefits” of being perceived as being like a mixed race woman such as being seen as exotic, sexualised, intriguing, trendsetting without having to deal with any of the negativity or difficulties of having to deal with it your whole life. Surprised more people here aren’t aware of this nuance.

I knew she was white as I’d seen her on Disney Channel when much younger. I do see what you mean, though.
There is a trend to appear more ‘exotic’, perhaps.

@JayDot500, genuine question
Do you have an example of a ‘look’ that isn’t natural for her?
You are mentioning a tan - what sort of tan can she get that isn’t natural for her?

With the tan, I’m puzzled tbh.
I beet the injections, the fillers etc... because these are NOTa natural look for anyone. But a tan??

@Emmelina That photo is heavily edited the original is online too.

Tanning and bleaching are 2 sides of the same coin. One can't be okay because white people are doing it and the other bad because black people are doing it. Just saying.

Whatever about the shade of her fake tan, her features are clearly white

I think she has made a concious effort to lower her voice and move away from the 'cat' character she played on nickolodeon where she was portrayed as ultra childlike and so that is probably why the contrast over the years is so apparent. She wouldn't have had a say in how vogue wanted to photograph and edit any of the pictures, I think alot of celebrities, especially ones who began as child stars, are very controlled by their managers because they are a product to make money which is quite sad really. She has made alot of reference to her family being Italian-American in a few of her interviews so I don't think she is trying to decieve anyone but it would have been better for her to have set the record straight when she was included in a BLM playlist.

Her PR as an adult has always subtly styled her as part hispanic / latino - because she was filling the gap of a young christina aguilera / Jennifer Lopez.

Rita Ora actually deliberately misled people with her cornrows / afros / talking about discrimination. She’s a really pale blonde girl in real life and doesn’t even look like the darker albanian populations.

@NobodyKnowsTiddlyPom

My winter skin tone is vampire-like in its paleness. Show me a bit of sun though and I go very dark brown - a muddy brown as opposed to a golden tone. I'm not trying to emulate anything, it's just what my skin does! Apparently, during the extremely insensitive and non-PC 1970s, my father's nickname was 'Paki' because he was very dark at times (Welsh/German parents). Some people do just have dramatic changes in skin colour.

but you are not painting yourself that colour are you?

@IslandGyal

Yes white people and particularly Southern Europeans can tan.

But look at the difference in shades. She’s not going up one or two shades.

It’s quite dramatic and I’m assuming it’s not a natural as celebrities would not damage their skin like that by tanning outside or on a sunbed.

Honey, they use spray tans now

@Stripesnomore
This is the point of white supremacy though. It assigns status based on a perception of race, sometimes quite arbitrarily. A Sicilian and an Iranian might well look very alike, but the former has been granted whiteness while the latter has not. As such a Sicilian is situated higher on the racial hierarchy and will not face racism in the way an Iranian may well, once both heritages are known.’
So stop trying to perpetuate white supremacy by constantly dividing people up into very narrow ethnic groups and insisting people behave and appear in stereotypical ways, when most people no longer care about white supremacy and moved on decades ago.
The damage this movement to keep separating people out is doing is turning back all the attempts society had made to move beyond that.

100% this and so well put

More imported USA shite.

Racebaiting shit, and insular Americanisms.

It really, really doesn't translate very well to the UK and Ireland.

See also: ever heard of mixed-race people?

@Emmelina

I knew she was white as I’d seen her on Disney Channel when much younger. I do see what you mean, though. There is a trend to appear more ‘exotic’, perhaps.

Both of those are photoshopped/doctored images if I remember rightly.

@GoldfishParade

Whatever about the shade of her fake tan, her features are clearly white

Agreed. Unlike the Kardashians who have had lip fillers, butt fillers etc etc, she’s not modified her body. She doesn’t wear inappropriate hairstyles or hairpieces. Her style (ponytail, oversized hoodies, thigh high boots) isn’t something we’d associate with any particular ethnicity.

There was no outrage when Gwen Stefani was prancing about wearing bindis, when Faye from Steps was proudy donning dreads and the entire group were wearing Chinese dress, same for the Pussycat Dolls in Saris etc etc.

Italian American woman spray tans her skin the same colour it was when she was as a child...outrage. Blackfishing. Etc etc. She’s never claimed not to be Italian. She’s never claimed to be Black or Mixed. She speaks proudly of her Italian heritage. It’s not her fault that people add her to Black playlists or wrongly assume her race.

Blackfishing IS a problem but she’s no Rachel Dolezal.

She's White with a tan. And a good voice.

I don't think she's a remotely good example of this phenomenon given the obvious photoshopping.

Those pictures of her as a little girl and teenager are quite dark in appearance, she is obviously Southern Italian and could equally be from the Middle East.

My take on the article.
It was written by someone who has no understanding about various skin colours and the sun. Spanish, French, Italians and more tan and become much darker. Added to which doesn’t she live somewhere sunny? But tbh after her ramblings about Spotify I gave up.

Does this woman have full access to Spotify and AG to know if any contact was or wasn’t made? Nope, yet all the blame was on AG.

My dcs are mixed, their dad is from North Africa. In cold months they are very white like myself and used to get bullied a lot for their “appropriation”. 10 minutes in the sun and they are darker than their dad

Isn’t vogue the one that has previously run very questionable covers due to bizarre photoshops. Altering the skin colour and shape of people’s bodies.

Lighting, camera type etc can also have some impact on photos final outcome especially in media. I was interviewed a couple of years ago and pics needed. Camera man and make up guy showed up, and the amount of makeup plastered on my was ridiculous. When it went to print, barely looked like I had any on. (No wasn’t a sad face story)

As such a Sicilian is situated higher on the racial hierarchy and will not face racism in the way an Iranian may well, once both heritages are known.’
Whose racial hierarchy? This is part of the problem. There is an assumption that everyone comes from a white western US-dominated perspective. And there is such latent and inherent racism in assuming that is the main global cultural hierarchy. It's as though racism has been redrawn by undergrad students who haven't ever ventured out of the west. It's as embarrassing as it is pervasive. And it's undoing all the fantastic work that's already been achieved to challenge that western US hegemony.

@Caroncanta

It's up to her if she wants to cover herself in fake tan. Or is that not acceptable anymore 🙄 People have been doing it for year and years. I did in my younger day, until I realised fake tan looked shit.

it was never acceptable, mostly cost it looks sht, like those fcking caterpillars eyebrows

Sorry, if that's anyone's go to look. It just looks ridiculous to my mind, if you like it you do you.

@SimonJT

Shes just a european woman with fake tan, she hasn’t at all ‘changed race’. Lots of Sicilians have darker skin, as do many southern europeans. I’m Asian, lots of Italians have darker skin than me.

Agreed here

Do males get the same grief for ‘appropriation’? DS is half ME, half peely wally Scot, so peely white in winter and tanned in the sun - are people going to try to tell him he is pretending to be something?

@GrumpyHoonMain

Her PR as an adult has always subtly styled her as part hispanic / latino - because she was filling the gap of a young christina aguilera / Jennifer Lopez.

Rita Ora actually deliberately misled people with her cornrows / afros / talking about discrimination. She’s a really pale blonde girl in real life and doesn’t even look like the darker albanian populations.

Rita Ora is a dumb idiot who would say/do anything for fame - including that old chestnut - sell your grandma!

Many years ago I had a boyfriend who used to be racially abused at school, along with his brother, as they were darker than most of the Fijian kids at their school (military family).
Their dad was a blonde blue eyed Scot (with quite dark tanned skin although I knew them after they had been to Iraq so hard to say what their “normal” skin tone was) and their mum a pale skinned Englishwoman. No doubt they are now berated for being racially ambiguous and not being clear enough about their whiteness