When Percem Akin, a makeup artist from Turkey, posted a racially-charged tutorial of herself in Halloween blackface, she was met with consternation from around the globe.
Bloggers, vloggers, and social media users breathed a collected "This again?" sigh as Akin tried to explain herself. But, as with other people who have feigned or claimed ignorance on the topic, she was dragged by social media to the point where she deleted her accounts—at least for a little while. And with good reason.
While things seem to have blown over, there are still people, especially at this time of year, who are posting costumes of themselves as different races. And that is not, and has never been okay. There are plenty of things on Halloween that could get you into trouble, and costumes are some of them. These bad makeup ideas are offensive, and this Turkish makeup artist's blackface tutorial even more so.
In Akin's case, she hopefully learned a valuable lesson about cultural appropriation, racism and the history blackface and what her actions actually represent.
Akin shocked the world by darkening her skin to make her look black. She turned herself into a person of a different race—but that wasn't all. To complete the look, she wore a headscarf and created scars on her face. She posted a how-to video to YouTube with a still photo of the look on Instagram. It didn't go unnoticed for very long.
To make matters worse, Akin tagged her photos on Instagram with the terms #blackwoman and #sadmakeup. While those (and the photo) were offensive enough, the tag #slave is what put social media over the top and the question was asked a multitude of times—"How is this ever okay?"
Ayden Reed
As word got out, social media users across all platforms were outraged by not only the photo and tutorial but the hashtags. Akin went viral, but never in the way she had intended or imagined. Initially, she didn't understand what the issue was and defended herself by saying the look was for a movie.
As the resentment continued to build, she shut down her accounts and apologized saying, "We are not living in America or Africa, so finding any black model is so difficult in here. I have never think that this is racist while I am doing this. I just try to see pure beauty behind the pain who have it," she later told Buzzfeed.
Oliver Evans
White? With brown eyes and skin?
Daniel Gray
Good
Next is Anzu for her misappropriation of Asian culture
Aaron Reyes
Are you seriously saying that girl is "Brown"?
Shes fucking whiter than some Norweigan immigrants I have met at the Norse church a few blocks away from where I live
Juan Murphy
>Are you seriously saying that girl is "Brown"?
Have you seen this make up artist ameridumb? She's not only brown but also turkish. Kys now.
Ian Cruz
>We are not living in America or Africa, so finding any black model is so difficult in here >Turkey
Cameron Cook
you guys are so fucking pathethic, she looks like a crossbred swarthy mongrel and if you think that girl would pass the one drop rule test you are insane, pedro
Dylan Baker
Talcum X should take notes. This chick's makeup job is better than his faggy manicured little mustache
Isaiah Cooper
>she shut down her accounts and apologized
Always the wrong response.
Some amazing talent displayed there, she should have tripled down and made more.
One day someone with balls will ride this leftist stupidity outrage wave to serious fortune. It won't be someone like Milo either but someone with actual talent.
Benjamin Robinson
Triggered
Owen Stewart
REMOVE FLAG FROM CLOTHING
Luke Young
This it's madness.
Cooper Ortiz
She's white? Only in America
Jacob Hernandez
She looks like she went for a swim in the Ganges.
Adrian Brooks
I figured she was Turkish. Turkish people look like "white Hispanics", op is probably a spic and considers that girl white
Nicholas Parker
It's strange; her nose looks really wide and her lips look fairly plump for a white woman.
Then you see the "black woman" and instantly her nose and lips look incredibly small.
Niggers BTFO
Matthew Garcia
>Turkish >White
Goof bait Tyron
Kayden White
whites are better looking blacks than blacks
Benjamin Lewis
You're right. I was just thinking that she looks far prettier as a nigger than pretty much all the niggers I've ever seen