Model Amelia Gray Hamlin, daughter of Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, found herself under public scrutiny on Friday after the release of her post-holiday photos, while Instagram users flocked in her comments to visibly point out her skin tone. darker than normal.
Many accused her of what is known as “black fishing”.
Blackfishing, a concept coined by black culture writer Wanna Thompson, is a subset of cultural appropriation and just one of the many forms it can take. It is essentially “cat fishing” for people to believe that you are black when you are not – whether online or offline – to profit, either socially or financially. This, along with other forms of cultural appropriation, allows a more privileged person to essentially capitalize on historically oppressed groups.
Can we start a topic and post all white girls cosplaying black women on Instagram? We are going to air them because this is ALARM.
– Wanna Vision (@WannasWorld) November 7, 2018
Blackfishing can include “white women who, through their Instagram accounts, pretended and modeled the black aesthetic” by darkening their skin, exaggerating their lips, wearing hairstyles created by blacks, adopting certain styles of dress or presenting themselves as racially ambiguous, sociologist Jessie Daniels, author of Cyber Racism, told Yahoo Life in July.
But in response to the reaction, Amelia says, “There is no self-tanner involved. Or the intention to look darker than my skin’s natural color.”
The comment feature has been disabled on your post, but the photo – which has received more than 31,600 likes – remains. In her current Instagram story, the model, who first acknowledged the charges before denying them, wrote: “I was told I’m a ‘black woman fishing’. – Thank you all for educating me on this subject. “
The 19-year-old is not the first celebrity to be accused of this, as Kylie Jenner and Arianna Grande have been charged with similar crimes. Daniels pointed out that black fishing is now popular with celebrities, as they tend to “play with black culture, not only appreciatively, but appropriately … some of them even lie about their identity”.
But, although it looks darker than in all the photos previously shared, Amelia explained: “Recently, I took a vacation in the sun and, with my Italian heritage, I tan very easily … I had a lot of fun creating this look without any intention malicious or offense. “
Still, not everyone is buying.
When Amelia Gray Hamlin issues that little apology for BS notes, you can all do whatever you want with him, but I’m not falling for it. She knew what she was doing pic.twitter.com/mDq9adfhes
– King Tre (@NewSeasonTre) February 26, 2021
everyone telling Amelia Hamlin that she’s fishing and she just saying “thanks but no :)” is so insane it’s almost hilarious
– kimberly (@kimmyshoemaker) February 26, 2021
Read more on Yahoo Life:
Do you want to receive lifestyle and wellness news in your inbox? Sign here for the Yahoo Life newsletter.