Blackfishing, as generally defined online, is a term that refers to a non-Black person’s manipulation of Black aesthetics for the purpose of attaining social capital or monetary benefit. What kind of representations are these artists attempting to convey through the manipulation of such aesthetics?
Author: Helen Bezuneh
Helen Bezuneh is a junior Mellon Mays undergraduate fellow at Smith College. She is majoring in Africana studies and pursuing a certificate in international relations. Her academic interests include colonial and postcolonial studies, philosophies of race and Black feminisms.