White beauty blogger accused of blackface after creating ‘chocolate challenge’
One white beauty blogger is in hot water after inventing the “chocolate challenge” that many others are calling blackface.
»RELATED: Makeup artist accused of blackface for turning white woman INTO BLACK ONE
YouTuber Vika Shapel launched the contest to encourage viewers to make their skin darker using brown-toned makeup.
To show people how it’s done, she and a friend posted a picture of themselves to Instagram with one side of their face covered in dark brown foundation, keeping the other side “pasty pale.” The women even photoshopped their eyes so they would be brown instead of blue.
When the photo hit the web, people were outraged and accused Shapel of racism and blackface.
After the overwhelmingly negative response, she removed the picture and deactivated all of her social media accounts.
"I simply wanted to see how I looked in a deeper skin tone," she told Yahoo Beauty. "I wasn't aware of the whole blackface concept before people began commenting it on the photo. I would like to apologize to people that were hurt or offended by my post, and it won't happen again."
Despite the apology, people are still fuming and showed their ire on Twitter and beyond.
So @vika97662612 decided to post this picture which is clearly blackface & she decided to call it "the chocolate challenge" pic.twitter.com/O4NutrEtTH
— Arnell (@arnellarmon) July 9, 2017
🏽🇲🇽 (@wordtogloria) July 9, 2017Me reporting her Instagram, YouTube, and twitter accounts pic.twitter.com/2s9SQisC60
— Gloria ✊
»RELATED: Jobless and nearly homeless, Rachel Dolezal still isn't sorry for posing as black
"Chocolate challenge" pic.twitter.com/s1A0DzfnuS
— overit! (@uhwhocaresgirl) July 9, 2017
Like, there's plenty of other challenges to do. pic.twitter.com/XvkP35ueko
— TJ (@Ayy_Tant) July 9, 2017
💖 (@elly_tha) July 9, 2017i know this girl didn't just try to make blackface a trend...
— elly
🍑...people are so disrespectful pic.twitter.com/NOFMzVVNdv— julissa (@mirandabeth) July 9, 2017.Chocolate challenge my
»RELATED: #BlackHairChallenge celebrates the magic of black hair goes viral
Why?! What do I have to do to convince people that my skin tone is not a trend/a mask/a makeup challenge/ a new concept for entertainment?!
— • A R I E L L E • (@ArielleMonai) July 9, 2017
@vika97662612 you don't get points for doing blackface and trying to call it the chocolate challenge. Just stop.
— Unburnt (@agent_ryan013) July 9, 2017
🙃😑😑😑 the disrespect... pic.twitter.com/j1SEXPdWhr— Jasmine Brown (@JasMeannnn) July 9, 2017this "challenge" doesn't exist because people have common sense
»RELATED: Atlanta black students respond to ‘Dear White People’
About the Author
Najja Parker is a multimedia journalist covering Black culture for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an engaging on-air talent, who has served as a host for the newsroom’s special projects and events, such as the movie premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” a documentary chronicling the rise of Atlanta hip-hop.
