Entertainment Industry Controversies

noun a type of theatrical makeup used to darken the skin in order to portray a person of a different ethnicity

verb to darken one's skin using makeup in order to portray a person of a different ethnicity

• The actor faced backlash for his use of brownface in the movie.
• I can't believe he thought it was okay to do brownface for his costume.
• That's so not cool, doing brownface like that.
• Using brownface is like painting a false image of oneself.

noun a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-black performers to represent a caricature of a black person

verb to apply blackface makeup or to portray a black person in a stereotypical or offensive manner

• The use of blackface in theatrical performances is highly controversial and considered offensive.
• I can't believe they thought it was okay to do blackface at the party last night.
• That comedian got in trouble for doing blackface in his stand-up routine.
• His words were like a form of verbal blackface, perpetuating harmful stereotypes.