blackface
noun
black·face
| \ ˈblak-ˌfās
\
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Definition of blackface
: dark makeup worn (as by a performer in a minstrel show) in a caricature of the appearance of a black person
also
: a performer wearing such makeup
Note: The wearing of blackface by white performers was, from the early 19th through the mid-20th centuries, a prominent feature of minstrel shows and similar forms of entertainment featuring exaggerated and inaccurate caricatures of black people. Its modern occurrence in imitation of such performers is considered deeply offensive.
Examples of blackface in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2015, Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders dressed up in blackface at a rally. — Washington Post, "A Belgian festival has long featured a ‘savage’ in blackface. Is it time for the U.N. to stop honoring it?," 20 Aug. 2019 In 2017 she was accused of wearing blackface during the launch of her KKW Beauty range. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "KimOhNo: Kim Kardashian West’s new ‘Kimono’ shapewear sparks outrage in Japan," 27 June 2019 The school's statement included no details about what the investigation found out about Northam's 1984 yearbook page, which includes a photo of a man in blackface standing next to someone in Ku Klux Klan clothing. — Bloomberg.com, "School Says Probe of Blackface Photo on Virginia Governor’s Yearbook Page Is Done," 21 May 2019 Blackfaces’ for my band, with a design of a person in blackface? — Sonia K. Katyal, BostonGlobe.com, "The sudden rush of vulgar trademarks," 23 June 2018 But Pusha held no punches on his latest track: charging Drake with being an absentee father, using a photo of Drake in blackface as the cover art, and then confirming—and semi-torpedoing—the long-swirling rumors that Drizzy is signing with Adidas. — Cam Wolf, GQ, "Pusha T Might’ve Just Confirmed Drake x Adidas," 30 May 2018 Tuennerman was forced to sell Tales due to a controversy that began with her Facebook of herself in blackface while riding in the 2017 Krewe of Zulu parade. — Todd A. Price, NOLA.com, "Tales of the Cocktail relaunches with a new mission and renewed focus on New Orleans," 18 May 2018 Played by white men in blackface, Tom was a caricature, an old hunchback with poor English who would happily sell out his own race to curry favor with his owner. — Jared Brock, Smithsonian, "The Story of Josiah Henson, the Real Inspiration for ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’," 16 May 2018 Racist and otherwise discriminatory incidents on college campuses, such as students wearing blackface to frat parties and white supremacist flyers, are nothing new either. — refinery29.com, "A Black Yale Student Was Reported To Campus Police For Napping In Her Dorm," 9 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blackface.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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