Woman accused of blackface after using makeup to look like Kobe Bryant
Asian makeup artist is accused of ‘blackface’ after transforming into Kobe Bryant – but she claims she was simply ‘paying tribute’ to the late NBA star
- TikTok user @easy_baobo used makeup to make herself look like the NBA star
- Read more: Valencia is fined £40,000 as Spanish FA FINALLY act on vile racist abuse of Real Madrid star Vinicius Jnr
A TikToker who filmed herself using makeup to look like the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant has faced criticism over the clip – with some accusing her of ‘blackface’.
TikTok user @easy_baobo, who is Asian but believed to be living in the US, posted footage of herself wearing an LA Lakers vest before using makeup, a latex cap and fake facial hair to look like the basketball star, who died in January 2020 in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles.
More than 180,000 people have since liked the clip but many of the comments in reaction to it are negative – while others defend the footage, saying it’s clearly a fan paying tribute.
A similar second video was captioned ‘Kobe is forever in my heart’.
@easy_babao has posted other videos showing herself using makeup to look like other famous stars including Audrey Hepburn. Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger in The Joker.
TikTok user @easy_baobo after she used makeup to make herself look like late NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant; the ten-second clip has sparked a negative reaction from some
While one person deemed her transformation to a different ethnicity was ‘absolutely blackface’, others said the video just felt ‘wrong somehow’.
The term blackface orginated around 200 years ago when non-black actors on stage and screen began using makeup to appear as the caricature of a black person. It’s considered deeply offensive and racist.
One person commented: ‘They are calling it blackface because it literally is blackface’.
The debate spilled onto Twitter after the video was shared – and some defended the TikToker saying her intentions had been good.
The makeup artist showed her transformation in a step-by-step video – but some have said the clip is an example of blackface
Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant died three years ago in a helicopter crash; TikToker @easy_baobo said the video showed the star was ‘forever in my heart’
One Twitter user wrote: ‘I agree, I think there’s no negative intention behind this but I’m not gonna say what is or isn’t sensitive for a specific group, especially when’s there’s history.’
Another added: ‘Blackface always had the intention to insult or ridicule black people. Definitely not the case here.’
Basketball icon Brant was killed on January 26, 2020, along with eight others – including his daughter Gigi – in a tragic helicopter crash in the hills outside Los Angeles.
Bryant and the other passengers were headed to Gigi’s basketball game at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, when poor visibility saw the helicopter crash into the hilly coastal landscape.
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