Post by Admin on Dec 9, 2021 5:36:52 GMT
Ariana Grande has been accused of 'Asianfishing' after she posted – and deleted – a series of photos from a recent shoot. In the pics, the 28-year-old singer wore her signature winged eyeliner, paired with a red lip and slicked-back hair. But, the photos didn't go down well with some people, with claims she had altered her appearance to 'look more Asian'. But others have jumped to her defence saying that calling her out for these photos is racist in itself.
The term 'Asianfishing' is derived from 'Blackfishing', a phrase first used by journalist Wanna Thompson back in 2018. Thompson took to Twitter at the time to call out celebrities and influencers who she believed to be 'cosplaying' black women on social media. "Blackfishing is when white public figures, influencers and the like do everything in their power to appear black," Thompson later told CNN. "Whether that means to tan their skin excessively [and/or] wear hairstyles and clothing trends that have been pioneered by black women."
Over the years, Grande herself has been accused of 'Blackfishing', with some calling out how her skin tone in recent years looked more tanned than when she appeared on Nickelodeon's VICTORiOUS in the early 2010s. Although, she has never publicly addressed the allegations.
This week, her appearance came under the microscope once again, as people took to social media to comment on how her features looked different in her latest photoshoot. In one post, which has since gone viral, TikTok user Victoria Alexander shared screenshots of the photos in question. "I'm not saying that Ariana Grande has moved on from 'Blackfishing' to 'Asianfishing'," Alexander said, "but I am say it took me longer than expected to realise that this is her."
She continued, "I understand that celebrities will change up their look from time to time. But this is giving change up of phenotype," referring to the singer as a "racial chameleon" in the video's caption.
But Alexander wasn't alone in her thoughts, with plenty of others heading to the comments section to share their opinion on Grande's appearance. "As a long time fan, this was disappointing to realise. There's no denying it," wrote one TikTok user, with another commenting: "Love her but can't defend her."
But others have jumped to her defence, with one fan saying on Twitter that the comments were from non-Asian people but that many Asians and South East Asians didn't notice. While another pointed out that Ariana respects Asian cultures and cultures around the world. Others have also said that her skin would be lighter in winter, or could be down to the camera flash.
Some people also pointed out how the photos had been praised by Oli London – a British, caucasian person who has been open about undergoing extensive plastic surgery to look like Korean pop-star,' Jimin. London defines themselves as "transracial" and has been at the centre of their own controversy for a number of years.
Many people noted that her eye shape appears to look different in the photos.
"Ariana Grande really said 'ok fine I'm done pretending to be Hispanic, I'll pretend to be Asian this time,'" reads one tweet.
While on Reddit, one user noted: "Every celeb has had plastic surgery, but there's something about Ari's that doesn't sit right with me lately. The overzealous eyebrow lift in which she's actually changed the shape of her eyebrows from arched (as you can see in the picture I've linked) to straight, as is popular in East Asia.
"The way she takes pictures from certain angles (low) or wears makeup in a way that will conceal her eyelids, creating a mono lid look, it also makes her eyes appear less round and narrower. The way she's so tiny and petite now, which is a stereotype of East Asian women, and not to mention her cutesy submissive innocent 'sex kitten' persona, once again a fetishization of East Asian women."
The term 'Asianfishing' is derived from 'Blackfishing', a phrase first used by journalist Wanna Thompson back in 2018. Thompson took to Twitter at the time to call out celebrities and influencers who she believed to be 'cosplaying' black women on social media. "Blackfishing is when white public figures, influencers and the like do everything in their power to appear black," Thompson later told CNN. "Whether that means to tan their skin excessively [and/or] wear hairstyles and clothing trends that have been pioneered by black women."
Over the years, Grande herself has been accused of 'Blackfishing', with some calling out how her skin tone in recent years looked more tanned than when she appeared on Nickelodeon's VICTORiOUS in the early 2010s. Although, she has never publicly addressed the allegations.
This week, her appearance came under the microscope once again, as people took to social media to comment on how her features looked different in her latest photoshoot. In one post, which has since gone viral, TikTok user Victoria Alexander shared screenshots of the photos in question. "I'm not saying that Ariana Grande has moved on from 'Blackfishing' to 'Asianfishing'," Alexander said, "but I am say it took me longer than expected to realise that this is her."
She continued, "I understand that celebrities will change up their look from time to time. But this is giving change up of phenotype," referring to the singer as a "racial chameleon" in the video's caption.
But Alexander wasn't alone in her thoughts, with plenty of others heading to the comments section to share their opinion on Grande's appearance. "As a long time fan, this was disappointing to realise. There's no denying it," wrote one TikTok user, with another commenting: "Love her but can't defend her."
But others have jumped to her defence, with one fan saying on Twitter that the comments were from non-Asian people but that many Asians and South East Asians didn't notice. While another pointed out that Ariana respects Asian cultures and cultures around the world. Others have also said that her skin would be lighter in winter, or could be down to the camera flash.
Some people also pointed out how the photos had been praised by Oli London – a British, caucasian person who has been open about undergoing extensive plastic surgery to look like Korean pop-star,' Jimin. London defines themselves as "transracial" and has been at the centre of their own controversy for a number of years.
Many people noted that her eye shape appears to look different in the photos.
"Ariana Grande really said 'ok fine I'm done pretending to be Hispanic, I'll pretend to be Asian this time,'" reads one tweet.
While on Reddit, one user noted: "Every celeb has had plastic surgery, but there's something about Ari's that doesn't sit right with me lately. The overzealous eyebrow lift in which she's actually changed the shape of her eyebrows from arched (as you can see in the picture I've linked) to straight, as is popular in East Asia.
"The way she takes pictures from certain angles (low) or wears makeup in a way that will conceal her eyelids, creating a mono lid look, it also makes her eyes appear less round and narrower. The way she's so tiny and petite now, which is a stereotype of East Asian women, and not to mention her cutesy submissive innocent 'sex kitten' persona, once again a fetishization of East Asian women."