TikTok Star Addison Rae Has Been Accused of “Blackfishing”

“Nobody’s talking abt Addison Rae switchin’ up ethnicities on us.”
Addison Rae attends the Netflix Premiere of All the Bright Places on February 24 2020 in Hollywood California.
Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Netflix

19-year-old TikTok star Addison Rae, who boasts over 48 million followers on the platform, is being accused of blackfishing.

As noted by BuzzFeed, fans of the influential TikToker have been calling her out for blackfishing after being thrown off by a now-deleted Snapchat video. In the clip, Addison is seen getting her makeup done with a shade that appears to be much darker than her natural skin tone. 

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After seeing the video, some fans considered the look to be a clear example of deliberate "blackfishing" and were quick to share their feelings on Twitter. "Nobody’s talking abt Addison Rae switchin' up ethnicities on us," tweeted one, posting side by side pics of Addison to prove their point. "Not Addison Rae blackfishing... You could at least address it," wrote another. "Addison Rae is literally blackfishing. Are we not going to talk about that?" tweeted another.

Blackfishing in the influencer community has been going on for quite some time. The Kardashian family is most often cited for cultural appropriation and blackfishing, as several of the sisters often wear cornrows, Bantu knots, and get very dark spray tans. Kylie Jenner was recently accused of blackfishing when she posted photos that looked more like Beyoncé than herself; several fans asked the beauty mogul why she was "cosplaying" Black women in the pics. Kim Kardashian was also accused of blackfishing in December 2019 when she appeared looking darker than usual on the cover of 7Hollywood.

In 2018, several white influencers were accused of blackfishing, with many of the influencers showing off very dark spray tans and fashions influenced by Black women. One of the most infamous is Emma Halberg, an influencer from Sweden who appears to be a Black woman, but is actually white. Blackfishing has been compared to a modern form of blackface.

Teen Vogue has reached out to Addison directly for comment and will update this story as it develops. 

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