Beauty influencer Ghadeer Sultan has had an explosive start to the new decade, putting up an Instagram post that many see as resembling blackface.
Despite the outcry, the Kuwait -based Sultan has refused to take down the post, reiterating that she’s “not racist”.
The post in question is a video montage of Sultan in numerous outfits, backed by U.S.A For Africa’s hit We Are The World.
In the video – which features some very questionable singing techniques into boom mics – Sultan dons various combinations of heavily dark makeup, giving her skin a far darker complexion than natural. Check out the video below, as well as a picture of Sultan with her natural skin-tone.
Read: Pokemon pulls episode due to blackface outcry
Following the outcry (check out the comments), Sultan shared two shots from the video, stating that ” I hate racism” in the caption.
“What I’ve done is only to show what I am capable of… Life is meant for living… living with love and passion for everyone without thinking of what they are could really change your life.”
“Think 2020 and love all people. Happy new year!”
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Despite the attempted goodwill, a large portion of her followers (numbering over 2 million) weren’t buying into it.
“You’re not racist yet you proceed to blackface…make it make sense love,” said one follower, while another recommended she “…read about “Blackface” and how it’s directly related to racism. What you’ve done is really embarrassing and indicates ignorance.”
Whatever your thoughts are on the controversy, you can be sure that there’s going to be plenty more of this to come this decade – just ask Aussie actor/ comedian Chris Lilley all about it.
