The student news website of Omaha Central High School

Instagram influencers embracing modern day blackface

December 20, 2018

In these last few years the tanning salon industry which includes spray tanning and indoor tanning beds has grown by 4% and is expected to keep growing. In 2018 alone, the industry has reached up to 3 billion in revenue. Why is this industry rapidly increasing and gaining so much attraction?

It’s no secret that everyone loves the glowing tan they get in the summer and would like to keep that tan all year around, an easy and cheap way to stay tan would be spray tanning or indoor tanning beds. But there comes a point where too much tanning could potentially become a problem.

Celebrities, models and other types of influencers have all fallen victims of tanning themselves into another shade. Keeping up with this perfect tan could be difficult but the problem arises when the influencers are too frequently visiting the tanning salon, essential appearing to be racially ambiguous.

This problem has been recurring within the Instagram model’s community. Many have been exposed recently to be portraying this image called modern day blackface. These models have tanned their pale skin into much darker skin colors as well as altered their features such as getting lip fillers, receiving body surgeries and even changing their hair styles.

Many people are infuriated with this new trend white Instagram influencers have created because it praises white woman for having the same features as black women while black women are being ridiculed and discriminated against for having these features.

Along with blackface there’s cultural appropriation that intertwines with this issue. These influencers have put in box-braids although their hair does not accommodate these types of braids. Box braids/cornrows are protective hairstyle for textured hair. Virtually these influencers are damaging their hair just to project this persona to social media.

In essence these women are posing as black women capitalizing on beauty trends and brand endorsements. Boosting their followers and likes on Instagram for portraying themselves as someone they’re not. This is modern day black face being spread all over social media and the people are giving them a pass just for being attractive. This is not okay.

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