A Kuwaiti makeup artist was accused of racism after she posted a video and a picture of herself painted in dark makeup, in what critics condemned as blackface.
Ghadeer Sultan first posted a short video clip on her Instagram page on Wednesday, with the song We Are the World playing in the background, showcasing her different looks in a range of skin colours and wigs.
She then posted a photo of herself in blackface, which has garnered more than 44,000 likes.
Sultan’s page, which has two million followers, was then inundated with comments denouncing her blackface while others argued she had done nothing wrong. Source
This happened last week and I thought with all the negativity she’d end up removing the photos and videos but she hasn’t yet. Not only that but she’s also been reposting all the negative news articles about her that are being published in the media into her instagram story. So not really sure what to think about all of this. I hadn’t heard of her until last week but don’t think she’s actually racist, just unaware that blackfacing can be deemed offensive.
After the photos and videos went viral she posted the following statement and apology yesterday on her story (spelling mistakes fixed):
I’m sorry, I can see how blackface event must have been frustrating for you. I appreciate how difficult it must have been for you to deal with blackface. However it was absolutely not in my intention…
I was trying to show how artists could show things in a professional way.
I am professional artists and I did my best to show the beauty in colors.. the people and my millions of followers who knows me would definitely know what I’ve meant by doing this and what is my feelings towards all people’s and all colors.
Thanks for alerting me to blackface. I recognized that this can’t have been an easy thing to deal with and I’m so sorry that I have caused you to feel humiliations however on the contrary I looked more beautiful in my dark colors…
I’ve tried to explain several times why and how I’ve done this and what was my goal behind it, but I can’t really change the sensitivity behind the whole issue.
You were absolutely right to bring this to my attention, so I can immediately resolve any issues or any misunderstanding with my loved followers…
I will try everything I can to get this fixed and live with all people with love joy and peace once again… I am fully committed to my followers to show how artists could make your life peaceful and beautiful…
I will work on resolving the miss understanding and I will be careful in approaching or touching another culture, so we can all enjoy the beauty behind the arts..
Love u all
I think she’s the only influencer that’s made the news for something negative and then apologized. But, she still hasn’t removed the video or any of the blackface photos and don’t think she will.
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26 replies on “Kuwaiti Influencer Slammed for Posting Blackface Photos”
This is absolute bullshit. She should have done green face to force first contact with aliens that would have to claim intergalactic racism.
In the west they suffer from identity politics and Im sure most of those claiming offense are in the west, although Ive meet a few post grads here that studied in the US that have been infected by this leftist mindset. Also, yes, in the past blackface was used by actors who did comical portrayals. At the end of the day the blogger may have calculated for a viral response, only she knows her true intent. I did not find it racist, It would be different if she did that makeup then proceeded to mock those of African decent, hell at the end of the day her skin type would probably allow her to naturally bronze to a dark color if she wanted to achieve it.
VERY WELL SAID!
I love you! I watched white Chicks …….white face……
“Blackface” is an American thing and associated with their own history. It may not necessarily has same meaning in Kuwait and if an American is offended because a Kuwaiti put make up to look like a black person, then let me tell you as an Arab I am deeply offended by the fake accent they use in Holywood when they fake Arabs.
Totally agreed. There is no such thing as blackface in our region’s culture/history. And them associating it with their own dark racist history isn’t our problem.
She might have done it in ignorance. The people that defend her actions are people who haven’t been through what black people have been through. Try to talk to them and understand the extent of pain and trauma they’ve had to face and be sensitive rather than just defend it cause u don’t understand the weigh of the issue at hand.
Blackface is the product of a long history of racism and oppression and has no place in today’s society. The country doesn’t matter, especially in a global society. It was/is a practice intended to mock and demean people of color and turn them into mere caricatures. That an “influencer” (who exactly is she influencing, and to do what?) failed to know this is indicative of an uninformed and incurious person who doesn’t know history and wants to make up her own, more benign version. Ten seconds on Google would’ve let her know blackface was a bad idea. Did she not notice the problems Justin Trudeau had with old blackface photos just four months ago, or does she simply not follow the news? She wants to show the beauty of people of color? Then why not show, you know, actual people of color?
Speaking of Google, if she’d typed in “blackface” this is the third hit she would’ve gotten:
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/19/world/brownface-blackface-yellowface-trnd/index.html
Thank you!
I don’t understand how this is blackface. Dark makeup alone does not automatically make it blackface. I dislike all these “influencers” but this is fucking stupid.
If its okay to wear makeup to look fairer, it should be okay to wear makeup to look darker too, as long as there is no hint of any racial discrimination.
agreed
Arrey tum Indian hai, haan?
Toh do you think there’s a level playing field between Indian girls with fair skin and Indian girls with a darker complexion?
If that was the case then Fair & Lovely wouldn’t be a million dollar industry in India.
In that case wearing any make up would not be okay…because the primary purpose is to look different or ‘better’? And btw what about tanning and bronzing oils?
Are you seriously comparing white goras using bronzer to a black woman in India, the Middle East or America?
Yes I’m sure cops and society in general loves to discriminate against white Europeans/Americans who use bronzer. That is definitely documented. *sarcasm*
Please gain some perspective. Go speak to a darker skinned Indian ladki aurr wapas aayega.
You can’t seriously be comparing a white person using a tanning lotion to an African or Black American.
As someone who lived in America for seven years, I have seen all these things firsthand. Ever heard of DWBs before? If not ask a black American what they are.
Challenges of globalization and no space for localization. Welcome to the 2020s.The blackface thing is very American and yes it has its place. I have not seen the same problem in Kuwait to that extent and I understand what she was trying to do from an artistic and local perspective. Kudos to her for reaching out, clarifying and NOT taking it down. This is nothing similar to what sondos qattan did last year. We need to relax and not let other sway our preferences. Just like if I painted a rainbow with some black stroke does not mean offence to the LGBTQ ppl, no one has a patent on black skin color. You go girl.
“I haven’t seen that in Kuwait”. Just because you’re blithely, blissfully unaware of its presence in Kuwait doesn’t mean it does not exist here. You know what a lot of stupid Arabs (I’m an Arab, don’t come after me) call black Arabs “Abd”. Do you know what that means? SLAVE.
The black kids at my school were called “abd” and “cacao” by a lot of horrible, racist students.
So please spare me the whole “this is an American problem” bullshit fallacy. Racism against black people is everywhere and yes, we had black slaves in the Middle East for centuries before America even existed.
Plus, Instagram is a public platform with yes many many American subscribers. What do you think they’ll think when they see someone blackfacing themselves for entertainment?
I think people who think blackfacing is ok are the same dimwits who love saying the “N” word.
Thank you! I just came across this post, yeah years too late, but I just wanted to say you told so much truth. This is not an only African-American issue, but given the history of slavery in Arabia, and globally, with such a widespread denial of the racial make-up of many Kuwaitis vs. the obviously more fair appearance of many Arabs from the Levant-region, who is fooling who? If more ancestry tests were done here, many results would prove an obvious fact… Blackface is disrespectful just like if someone were to put tape on the sides of their eyes to appear more Asian – neither are ok!
There’s no “there” there. She wasn’t trying to be offensive. If her intent was malicious then that’s another story.
Myriam Fares did a blackface and an African themed music video, and nobody said anything about it, both woman were culture appropriating, the Arab world is always 2 decades behind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eG8pFhOEZg
Myriam Fares has also not released a decent song in two decades (Ana Wil Shouq).
LOL yeah I actually remember seeing this music video at the time of its release and was livid.
Am a black guy and I don’t see anything wrong with the video.it doesn’t in anyway violate any body’s culture.she was professional and tried to source out the beauty surrounding us all.lets take away our fragility and think of things in a better way
Go on girl
The whole “I’m this….therefore it’s not offensive” is a fallacy that should not be used in a civil argument.
Many Muslims for example were completely fine when White House Resident Trump once said “I call for a total ban of Muslims coming to the United States”. So many Muslims said “I’m Muslim and Trump does not offend me”.
It doesn’t make it not offensive.
Actually in black she looks extremely beautiful and exotic.
I can’t understand why this is racist
Uh, it is racist because SHE IS NOT BLACK.
And her wearing blackface will continue to be racist until she is prepared to be redlined for a bank loan because of her color, or when she is ready to be stopped by the cops for no particular reason, or when she is ready to earn $57 for every $100 her white counterparts make, or when she’s ok with being three times more likely than a white student to be suspended in school for the same infraction. The list of discriminatory practices goes on.
When she is prepared to accept those things as a normal part of her everyday life, then maybe we can talk about whether blackface is racist. She is part of a dominant culture that wants to “play” in a minority culture she knows little about. When she’s done, she washes off the color and goes home to a life of relative comfort.
“her wearing blackface will continue to be racist until she is prepared to be redlined for a bank loan because of her color, or when she is ready to be stopped by the cops for no particular reason, or when she is ready to earn $57 for every $100 her white counterparts make, or when she’s ok with being three times more likely than a white student to be suspended in school for the same infraction. The list of discriminatory practices goes on.”
What? This is a purely US-centric list of discriminatory practices. Who gives a fuck about American problems?
Blackface, by definition, is/was a disgusting caricature of black people, intended to be comedic in nature for theatrical purposes. Applying dark shaded makeup to show off whatever makeup skills has absolutely nothing to do with that.
So glad to know racism doesn’t exist elsewhere in the world. Whew!