Blackface
Blackface is a theatrical practice characterized by the use of makeup and costumes by white performers to imitate and exaggerate the appearance and stereotypes of African Americans. This tradition originated in the United States with minstrel shows in the 1830s, where performers adopted exaggerated characteristics to portray African Americans, often reinforcing negative stereotypes. The practice has deep historical roots, dating back to the Middle Ages in Europe, where blackening one's face was often associated with representing evil. Over time, blackface evolved from its early theatrical applications to become a central feature of American entertainment, particularly during the rise of minstrelsy, which celebrated these caricatures even as they perpetuated racial stereotypes.
Although blackface saw a decline in popularity during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s due to growing opposition to its racist implications, it has not disappeared entirely. Contemporary society generally views blackface as offensive, with instances often inciting significant backlash when they occur. Recent discussions have also emerged around the concept of "digital blackface," referring to the use of African American imagery and emojis by non-Black individuals online, which raises questions about representation and cultural appropriation. Overall, blackface remains a powerful symbol of America's complex racial history and ongoing discussions about race and representation in culture.
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Blackface
Blackface is a theatrical tradition involving the use of makeup, costumes, and exaggerated performance based on African American cultural stereotypes. In most types of blackface, a white actor dons some sort of makeup designed to imitate the appearance of dark skin and performs as an over-the-top character meant to evoke common stereotypes associated with African Americans. Blackface first gained popularity in the United States as a key element of minstrel shows in the 1830s. Minstrelsy and blackface remained a popular form of entertainment for decades until inherent racism of these practices was publicly decried with the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1950s. Although blackface has become much less common since that time, it continues to be a powerful reminder of the persistence of racism in American culture and an ongoing source of racial tension when it is used in entertainment or as part of a costume.
Background
The history of blackface can be traced back to the Middle Ages. At that stage, blackface simply referred to the practice of blackening the face with soot, burnt cork, paint, or some other cosmetic material for a theatrical performance. In the theatrical traditions of both the medieval and English Renaissance eras, this sort of blackening primarily served as a means of representing evil or wickedness. Used in this way, the color black was meant to be perceived as the opposite of white, which symbolized goodness and purity. Blackface eventually came to have other purposes on the European stage as well. As England and other prominent European nations expanded into colonial empires, blackface was increasingly used for the representation of newly discovered peoples of color in theatrical performances.
The cultural significance of blackface first started to shift during the Elizabethan era thanks to the works of renowned playwright William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s plays were deeply influential and had a major impact on the development of English theater. One of his most notable works was Othello, a tragedy featuring a main character who was a Moor. In most cases, the role of Othello was played by a white actor wearing blackface. The use of blackface for the purpose of racial representation played a large part in changing blackface itself from a simple signifier of evil to a means of demonstrating the social status of people of color. This also had the effect of helping to establish the person of color as a sort of “exotic other” in the eyes of white audiences.
When African slaves began arriving in North America during the colonial era, blackface inevitably followed. Blackface characters started to appear on colonial American stages as early as the eighteenth century. Traveling actors who became known as Ethiopian Delineators blackened their faces with burnt cork and sang traditional slave songs between acts of various plays. Such performances grew increasingly popular over time and ultimately evolved into independent stage productions called minstrel shows.
Overview
The concept of the minstrel show was introduced by Thomas Dartmouth Rice, the so-called father of minstrelsy. Around 1830, Rice developed a minstrel character called Jump Jim Crow that was based on a real African American performer that he met two years earlier. Rice’s characterization was an exaggerated imitation of this man’s labored attempt to perform a song and dance routine with a deformed right shoulder and an arthritic left knee. The Jump Jim Crow act quickly proved to be an audience favorite and led to the emergence of minstrelsy as a wildly popular form of theatrical entertainment.
Throughout the 1830s and 1840s, minstrel shows became a common sight on stages across the United States. Many white actors donned blackface and imitated the African American slaves in forced labor on Southern plantations. In addition to blackface, most minstrel performers sported woolen wigs and tattered clothing. More often than not, their acts depicted African Americans as slow-moving, uninformed, and superstitious individuals.
In addition to Jump Jim Crow, a number of other blackface characters became entrenched as hallmarks of minstrelsy. Some of these included Mammy, Uncle Tom, Buck, and Picaninnies. The Mammy was a wise, tough-talking older African American woman often depicted as a housekeeper or nanny. One of the best-known depictions of the Mammy was Aunt Jemima, a character that eventually became the advertising mascot of the syrup brand of the same name. The Uncle Tom, which was inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin(1852), was a gentle African American man who was religious and clear-headed enough to be deemed trustworthy by white individuals. The Buck was a large, proud young African American man who was sometimes depicted as menacing. Picaninnies were African American children characterized by bright white eyes, messy hair, and wide mouths with bright red lips.
While the popularity of minstrel shows waned by the early twentieth century, blackface continued to play a role in other forms of entertainment. Blackface was often utilized in vaudeville, film, and television performances. Perhaps the most notable example of blackface during this time was the 1927 film The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. In the film, Jolson plays an aspiring Jewish jazz artist who wears blackface as part of his stage act. Blackface was also utilized in films such as The Slave (1905) and Birth of a Nation(1915).
The use of blackface remained a common practice in the entertainment industry until the 1950s and 1960s. As the civil rights movement took hold, a rising tide of opposition to blackface and other objectionable forms of racial representation led the practice to fall from favor. That said, blackface still has an occasional presence in American culture. Although it typically results in a wave of critical backlash, people sometimes incorporate blackface into various performances. For the most part, however, contemporary society views blackface as an offensive and racially insensitive practice that no longer has a valid place in entertainment or any other aspect of modern life.
In early 2019, there were a number of scandals involving politicians or college students wearing blackface. While each case received public backlash, it drew public attention to forms of racism and the history of blackface. In addition, many have brought attention to modern types of blackface created by expanding technology, including the use of black emojis and the exclusive use of GIFs featuring African American actors by white people. This use of African American images to represent non-African American people digitally or on social media has been dubbed by some as digital blackface.
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