How Tanning Relates to Blackfishing

It is important to recognize that White people have the privilege of darkening their skin to be considered more attractive, while Black people do not receive the same appreciation for having dark skin

Tanning is wildly popular today, although the resulting health risks are much more researched and known to consumers. [4] Tanning, however, has been repackaged as self-tanners and bronzing products, to avoid any of the skin damage effects from sun tanning. [5] While bronzed skin is the desired aesthetic for White people, People of Color are not afforded the social currency that comes with bronzed skin. Acquired tanned skin is different from the naturally dark skin of people of color, meaning that it is acquired through means such as sunbathing, going to tanning salons, or using cosmetics or other artificial products to darken the skin. [6]

Acquired tanned skin is a highly valued beauty standard that is exclusively available to White people. Like many other standards of beauty, it is a direct reflection of European features and whiteness that has created the normalization of and desire for White traits such as blond hair and blue eyes. The proximity of acquired tanned skin to whiteness is one of the reasons why people of color are unable to benefit from its social value. As such, artificially tanned skin can be diminished and removed—a luxury that most People of Color cannot afford.

Within the last decade, celebrities have been called out for their use of tanning to obtain a Black aesthetic. As a result, tanning has arguably become a form of Blackfishing, a type of interpersonal racism that depicts Black people as stereotypes and portrays Black culture as a product that White people can consume to their advantage. Blackfishing includes a variety of behaviors such as falsely claiming to be Black, claiming Black experiences, or using cosmetics to appear Black or racially ambiguous. [7] Celebrities such as the Kardashians/Jenners, Ariana Grande, Jesy Nelson, and others have been accused of blackfishing. [8]

When celebrities and influencers adopt black features, they are implicitly saying that Blackness is not only desirable but also valuable and marketable, only as long as it is not associated with Black people. For example, in Christina Aguilera’s music video “Can’t Hold Us Down,” Aguilera’s skin is tanned, she’s in a black neighborhood, next to Black women doing their hair, and dressed in a style that associates her with hip-hop and Black culture. [9] Aguilera was able to market blackness and make it consumable to her non-Black audience, but still hold the privilege of being a White passing woman of Ecuadorian descent. She can remove her tan skin and clothing without facing the challenges of Black women, such as being constantly exposed to racism; being more prone to violence and poverty; or the hypersexualization of Black bodies. Ariana Grande does something similar with her music video for “7 Rings.” Once again, Grande is a white woman using features associated with Black people by darkening her skin and dressing in clothing popularized by Black fashion creators.

Tanning is not always or inherently Blackfishing. Many people tan their skin to a color they would naturally reach if sun tanning. Other people tan past that shade. The intention behind someone darkening their skin and the social and racial ideologies that inform artificial tanning practices impact whether it can be considered Blackfishing. It is important to recognize that White people have the privilege of darkening their skin to be considered more attractive. In contrast, Black people do not receive the same appreciation for having dark skin.