Rita Ora has come under serious fire this week after her fans had a sudden, yet damning realization about her true ethnicity...
Now, Rita Ora isn't shy of a little controversy.
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The British singer has forever been in and out of the headlines for her highly-publicized relationship dramas and controversial actions.In 2016, the "Hot Right Now" singer was accused of cheating by her ex-boyfriend, Rob Kardashian.
In an episode of Rob & Chyna, the reality star said not too long after their split: "I had a really bad past relationship where the girl was cheating and having sex with so many different people."Many of her other ex-partners have seconded these claims.
Old flame, A$AP Rocky, publicly blasted Rita in his track, "Better Things," and TMZ reported that DJ Calvin Harris called it quits with Rita after she was seen getting "touchy" with Justin Bieber.And, in 2018, her collaboration with Cardi B for the track, "Girls" landed her in even more hot water.
The song featured lyrics about being “open-minded" and "50-50" when it comes to sexuality, which many people from the LGBTQ community found to be "dangerous" and "tone-deaf."So, many of us weren't too shocked to see the singer's name circulating online once again...
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But, this time, it is surrounding a new issue entirely.This week, Rita has been accused of "blackfishing."
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I know what you're all thinking... What exactly is blackfishing?Blackfishing is a recently-coined term used to describe someone accused of pretending to be black.
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It usually happens on social media, when influencers use makeup, hair products, and in some cases, surgery to drastically change the appearance of their ethnicity.The phenomenon emerged back in November...
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When a Twitter thread calling on people to expose "all of the white girls cosplaying as black women on Instagram" went viral.The thread quickly gained traction...
Can we start a thread and post all of the white girls cosplaying as black women on Instagram? Let’s air them out because this is ALARMING.— Wanna (@Wanna)1541556201.0
Critics of the trend describe it as a form of cultural appropriation...
White girls if you want to pass as Black, how about using your platforms to address the injustices and discrimation… https://t.co/4tl7fBcu3t— Niccole Nero Gaines (@Niccole Nero Gaines)1542650162.0
For example...
Swedish influencer, Emma Hallberg is one of the most-cited examples, with countless side-by-side images of the twenty-one-year-old circulating online.And now, Rita is the latest woman to be accused of blackfishing.
The singer was born to Albanian parents and was raised in London... But she has been known to adopt black aesthetics in the past.So much so...
@slitmyclitt Your telling me this woman not at least mixed????????? https://t.co/tgkOiduNYE— Gabriella | blm🇨🇺| ACAB (@Gabriella | blm🇨🇺| ACAB)1597007107.0
But she has owned up to not being black in the past...
Y’all need to calm down, Rita Ora told y’all two years ago, she wasn’t black. YALL said she was black... not h… https://t.co/cZyMtvJr9s— Nina (@Nina)1597012996.0
However, she has continued to adopt the hairstyles typically associated with minority black cultures...
Such as box braids and afros.Well, people have had enough of it.
This Twitter user shared a series of photos of the singer with her hair in the said styles, along with a picture of her very European mother, writing: "Finding out Rita Ora isn’t black at all and both of her parents are white Albanians is so trippy. the girl's BEEN blackfishing."Very quickly, the Tweet went viral...
And people responded by expressing their shock over Rita's true ethnicity.However, some jumped to Rita's defense.
@slitmyclitt This is what she looked like when she was young. She's always been an ethnic Albanian girl with a tan… https://t.co/W8E0WsoxYb— albanianranting (@albanianranting)1597010950.0
And others are claiming that they never thought she was black in the first place.
@joshrobert795 @slitmyclitt What part of her looks black?? 🤔— Shiya ♈︎ Angelou (@Shiya ♈︎ Angelou)1597004935.0