It’s no secret that the beauty industry is in a state of excess right now. Women want everything bigger, rounder, and bolder. Bigger backside, bigger lips, bigger lashes. While it has been the standard for almost a decade, people are still surprised when anyone starts popping out with fuller features and a different face.
For years people have debated the origin of these desired looks, with many sighting that these women are striving to create outward appearances more closely resembling black women. This is even more of an issue when it comes to other women in music and entertainment, who tend to benefit from their proximity to blackness. Bhad Bhabie has built the whole career off her sassy attitude and dgaf persona. Now she is stepping out with a new face, and many are accusing her of blackfishing.
The term was coined in recent years and is a play on the terms blackface and catfishing. Catfishing has famously referred to people who pretend to be someone else online and is inspired by the documentary and MTV series of the same name. The refers to non-people of color who are pretending to be black or trying to present themselves with black features. This could be a result of them rocking darker makeup (blackface), more ethnic hairstyles, or getting body augmentations to have figures similar to popular black women like Beyonce or Nicki Minaj.
Famous culprits of include The Kardashians, Iggy Azalea, Ariana Grande, Bebe Rexha, and Rita Ora. All these women have benefitted from their affiliation with women of color. To make matters worst, they typically wear darker makeup, have gotten work to have fuller lips and wider hips, and even use “AAVE” or African-American Vernacular English. According to Wikipedia, “African-American Vernacular English, also referred to as Black English, Black English Vernacular, or occasionally Ebonics, is the variety of English natively spoken, particularly in urban communities, by most working- and middle-class African Americans and some Black Canadians.”
Iggy Azalea was the last straw for many after she had a landmark year with her single “Fancy,” while other rappers like Azealia Banks and Angel Haze went unnoticed. The public became more critical of the Kardashians and Ariana Grande whose images evolved drastically in a matter of years. They have all seemed to tone it down in the last few months. Ariana appeared in an Allure Youtube video recently no longer using her signature “yuh” and speaking in a much more proper tone since getting married. The Kardashians have also been sporting noticeably slimmer bodies, possibly a product of them reducing some of their work. They have also been dating more white celebrities after years of the whole family dating black men.
If there’s one person who is not planning on going backward, though, it’s Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli. The former Dr. Phil guest turned her bad attitude into a lucrative career as a rapper before becoming a power player on OnlyFans. Debuting on our televisions at only 15, the Florida native has consistently made it clear that she is a child of the modern rap culture and shows it over in everything she does. Bregoli frequently sports long weaves, long nails, and lashes while rapping and talking like any other female rapper. The only issue is she is of Jewish and Italian descent.
Bregoli has defended herself over the years as people have criticized how she talks and her ever-changing appearance. The teen equates her evolving look to simply growing up but has admitted to getting some work done in an attempt to get a larger bum. In an IG live rant, she called out fans for accusing her of “wanting to be black.” “I don’t understand that; I just can’t comprehend it,” she stated, sporting some big curly hair and long lashes.
However, a recent video of Bregoli has fans calling her out. Sporting noticeably darker skin, fuller cheeks and lips, and a long blonde wig, fans believe she has gotten more work done to look even more like a woman of color. “She’s transracial now???” joked one person. She fired back on her IG story with a photo of her foundation to shut fans up. She let them know she makes no money on Instagram and stays off the app for this exact reason. Back in April, it was reported Bregoli made $52 million on Onlyfans after going live for her 18th birthday.
Bhad Bhabie flexin’ on the ‘Gram, showing off her blonde tresses. Y’all like? pic.twitter.com/wxsMjR05Ot
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) November 14, 2022
What do y’all think about her new look? Let us know.
