Whiteface: Racist or Not?

This past weekend, I came across a series of images that Tyra Bank's released in which she physically impersonates world-renowned supermodels Cara DeLevingne, Cindy Crawford, and Kate Moss. As a darker-skinned, African American model, this involved Ms. Banks wearing white makeup to lighten her skin. Of course, internet outcry from some white people, especially on Twitter, arose from the publication of these images with claims that they were racist in their depiction of whiteface ("Tyra Banks Dresses as Other Supermodels, Cries of Whiteface," 1).

These claims struck a chord with me in reference to what Omi and Winant define as instances of racism and what does and does not qualify as racism. I think that for Omi and Winant, these images of Tyra Banks do not lose their potential to be racist simply because she is a black woman and cannot inherently be racist. It is evident that they believe that non-white people can be racist, or act in a racist manner, but whether this act is a form of racism is another question. They make it a point to distinguish that they believe there are different levels of racism and that it is important to place acts of racism within the hegemonic discourse of race. So as a famous public figure with access to a large, mainstream public, Tyra Banks does have a degree of power in the formation of ideology, but the question of whiteface as a racist act holds another complication.

The use of whiteface does not have any negative connotations in the history of race relations and has never been used at the expense or disenfranchisement of the white race. On the other hand, blackface has historically acted as a vehicle to dehumanize black people for the purpose of entertainment in all-white venues. A Jezebel article on the subject poignantly points out that whiteface has "no historical relevance" and that "in a society that constantly affirms white privilege and power painting one's face white doesn't have the same negative connotations and fraught history as paintings one's face black." Therefore, it is important that we look at racial projects like this one with the historical context that Omi and Winant argue for in order to determine where they fall in line in the hegemonic discourse of race in the U.S. Based on their arguments, I think Omi and Winant would not view Tyra Banks' images as a racist act.  

http://jezebel.com/tyra-banks-dresses-as-other-supermodels-raises-cries-o-1277357511