Ariana Grande is no stranger to controversy, especially when it comes to accusations of Black-fishing and Asian-fishing. As many fans remember, the singer found herself in hot water after being accused of serial Black-fishing following the release of her 7 Rings music video. Black-fishing is a term used to describe someone who changes their appearance to look more black or mixed-race by using makeup, editing, or even surgery. Asian-fishing follows the same lines but refers to when someone is trying to appear Asian by using similar methods, like makeup or editing.
People slammed Ariana for her "blaccent" and extremely dark spray tan, which many saw as a classic case of cultural appropriation. Does Ariana intentionally hide her actual race? And how does she feel about people always calling her out for being racially ambiguous? Ariana is a Boca Raton, Florida native of Italian descent with Sicilian and Abruzzese roots. However, fans have always said that she tries too hard to be racially ambiguous.
Ariana Grande Has Been Accused Of 'Black-Fishing' And 'Asian-Fishing'
In December 2021, Ariana stirred controversy by posting photos on social media platforms, and fans said she was straight-up Asian-fishing. The images of Ariana quickly circulated on social media, and while many praised her look, she also received a ton of backlash. It's not a surprise the singer vanished from Twitter overnight.
Fans pointed out that the way Ariana took the pictures from certain angles, specifically low angles, and how she wore her makeup to conceal her eyelids created a monolid look to make her eyes appear less round and narrower. They also pointed out that the way Ariana was so tiny and petite was a stereotype of East Asian women. In addition, her cutesy submissive innocent kitten persona was also a fetishization of East Asian women.
Some people think that other than trying to look Asian, Ariana has been Black-fishing for years. According to fans, her skin has become darker and darker, to the point where people genuinely think she's Latina or biracial. To mention a couple of times when Ariana went a bit overboard with the racial ambiguity, fans pointed out that at the MTV Awards in 2016, when Ariana and Nicki Minaj sang Side to Side, they noticed that Ariana was shades darker than the rapper.
Then, when she released her song Thank U, Next, Ariana was also slammed for Black-fishing. While the song referenced her personal relationship history and was so well received that it reached number one on the pop charts in multiple countries, the music video was highly controversial because her spray tan was over the top.
Does Ariana Grande Intentionally Hide Her Real Race?
Ariana openly made a joke about having a "Quinceañera" when receiving an award, even though she's not Latina. In Latin America, a "Quinceañera" is a tradition to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday to mark their coming of age. When Ariana accepted the Woman of the Year award from Billboard, she made a joke about the audience coming to her "Quinceañera."
Another time, after dropping 7 Rings, several artists, including Soulja Boy and Princess Nokia, claimed Ariana stole their flow, and the lyrics to the song were likened to Princess Nokia's song Mine, in which she celebrates the cultural significance of hair for women of color. Ariana also allegedly blocked a fan who called her a white woman after she tweeted and deleted her apology. In response to the drama, the fan tweeted, "She has never been more clearly a white woman before this moment," which led to him being blocked.
The singer has also been slammed severally for changing her voice and using African-American vernacular English. For instance, during her promotional video for Thank U, Next, Ariana spoke with an over-the-top ghetto accent in describing a childhood photo. Several Twitter users compared the clip to videos of her speaking without the accent about ten years before.
Ariana Grande's Excessive Use Of Fake Tan
Ariana has been so successful at Black-fishing that in 2020 she appeared on a Black Lives Matter in Black History Month playlist. To make matters worse, she made no comment to Spotify on their inclusion of her in the playlist. One follower pointed out, "Ariana Grande is a white girl coated in brown spray tan to pass as racially ambiguous, and it's scary how well it's worked in tricking people."
Fans have also pointed out that Ariana portrays herself as white only when it's beneficial. For example, when Ariana was on the cover of Vogue, she visibly had pale skin, blonde hair, and freckles. And many people found that pretty offensive.
There was also a time when Ariana received a lot of hate because, in her shoot, she appeared several shades darker. Fans said that she had gone too far with the photoshoot, and her ex Pete Davidson agreed. While addressing the Vogue cover in his Netflix special, Pete Davidson: Alive from New York, Pete mentioned Ariana's Black-fishing controversy and the unfair double standards in response to her post-breakup comments.
After crediting Ariana for making him a household name, he said that he initially wasn't going to make jokes about the relationship but decided it was fair game after his friend told him about Ariana calling him "a distraction." Then he said, "Can you imagine if I did that? My career would be over tomorrow if I spray-painted myself brown and hopped on the cover of Vogue magazine."
Ariana has been slammed numerous times for being racially ambiguous. For most people, the problem is that celebrities like Ariana, who pretend to be another race, can stop pretending at any time, and that is never an option for the people they're imitating.
