Miley Cyrus dominated radio waves in post VMA controversy,
but she was not the only artist that raised eyebrows. During the VMA preshow on
September 12th, Black Eyed Peas Will.i.am sported an all black
outfit and painted his face entirely black while performing his duet “Check it
Out” with Niki Minaj.
Immediately following the show there was a public outcry
about his black face paint. Will.i.am.’s
outfit is however notably different from the jarring images of historic
blackface. The goal of the outfit was to make him look like a sleek space-age
superhero, rather than a grotesque puppet as Smulyan described traditional
blackface did. Because most superheroes have been white, and objects associated
with the space age and the future are typically white or silver, it is
refreshing to see a different kind of superhero. Yet, because Will.i.am. is a
man on stage and a pop culture icon, it is impossible not to be reminded of our
grim history when he paints his face black. On one hand, we could stay that
Will.i.am. is reclaiming the notion of a superhero – a type of pop culture mass
consumed in the same way blackface once was. On the other hand, his performance
could be seen as an extension of the minstrelsy scene, whereby he (or rather
his stylists) took influence from blackface to sell music en masse to the
middle class. Another twist to the story is that the album cover for the “Check
it Out” single, stars Niki Minaj and Will.i.am sketched as superheroes
completely lacking color. The transformation between his white self on the
album cover, and his dark silhouette on stage, is eerily similar to some of the
early posters showing the transformation between white actors and their
blackface stage acts. Who then is the real Will.i.am and what does he represent
in modern pop culture?
3 comments:
This is related to the discussion we had in class as to why and what purpose blackface served in order to allow in black performers. This makes me think of how Beyonce’s race is portrayed depending on where it is seen. Whether being “whited up” for Loreal commercials or “blacked up” for Essence magazine covers it seems to be in flux. In terms of minstrelsy, many of her album covers such a “crazy in love” show her “whited up” while she identifies as a black artist. The question remains, is keeping their racial identity in flux what black artists are forced to do in order to be accepted into the mainstream pop culture? Is this just another layer of performing race?
If you paint your face black is it always blackface? Can you differentiate between race and just a color painted on your skin? Will.i.am apparently believes you can differentiate, as made obvious by his costume choices on stage at the VMA’s and also by his response to the outcry. After individuals and the media called him out for his use of black face paint, he told critics that there are far more important things to get upset about. I normally side with celebrities in matters like this for I believe that people tend to pick apart their actions too much and could use a little bit of perspective on what is truly important in the world. However, by not only brushing off criticism but actually getting angry about the reaction I think Will.i.am is failing to acknowledge the history of blackface and the strides that have been made to overcome it. I by no means think his actions set the nation back decades, but I think it deserves more of a response from him than just a couple angry tweets. These are moments when celebrities can become more than just musicians or actors but role models and I think he set himself back in that respect with his response.
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