Every time that we discuss the blackface minstrelsy of the 1800's, my mind wanders to this recent news story involving one of America's favorite dancers/actresses. Julianne Hough, a professional dancer who performed on Dancing with the Stars and also starred in Safe Haven, dressed up for Halloween in 2013 as a character from another popular show- a series called Orange is the New Black. The character Hough was portraying, "Crazy Eyes", is originally played by a black actress named Uzo Aduba. Even in our modern, progressed society, this blackface caused quite the controversy! Hough released a statement afterwards, saying, "It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to
anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I
truly apologize." Perhaps, despite all the progress made and obstacles overcome, America will never fully accept this form of entertainment, and, I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.
I thought of the same thing when I was reading about blackface minstrelsy. When this (Julianne Hough's costume) happened, I didn't know anything about blackface minstrelsy so I didn't know that there was a large amount of history behind why this was so offensive. I also agree with your point that blackface is still offensive. When African-Americans want to dress up as a white character for Halloween, they don't paint their faces white, and I think there would be an uproar if they did.
ReplyDeleteWow, Caitlin, I'd forgotten about this -- thanks for sharing. Clearly, what makes something offensive or controversial is often connected to longer histories that not all Americans are aware of. But I also wonder whether there is an element of this story that is about white privilege. Both Hough's choice of costume and her response to the criticism -- "It wasn't my intention…" -- seems to reflect blinders of white privilege that play out in other ways around costuming as well. Think about recent campaigns in response to Halloween costuming -- "We're A Culture Not a Costume." How do power and privilege - not to mention history - factor into ideas about play? Is there an equivalency between a white actress celebrity in blackface and the hypothetical reverse? Or does the history of race in America, including blackface minstrelsy, make one both more likely and more problematic? … Food for thought!
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