09 Jan Models Defend Blackface After Dressing As Serena And Venus Williams

Costume parties can be a lot of fun, but there are definitely some outfits that are big no-nos. For example, it should go without saying that dressing up as Hitler, using cultural appropriation, or donning blackface is never acceptable.

Apparently models Sophie Applegarth and Julie Iovenitti didn’t get the memo. The pair, who attended a “sports star” themed costume party decided to dress as tennis pros, Venus and Serena Williams.

However, the models didn’t just wear athletic wear and carry tennis rackets. They also painted all of their visible skin a dark brown in an attempt to imitate the African American sports stars. The act of a white person using makeup to look black is called blackface, and is incredibly offensive.

It came about in America during the 19th century when slavery existed as a form of theatrical makeup. It was used by non-black performers and contributed to the spread of racism and black stereotypes.

It is unclear why Applegarth and Iovenitti chose to attend the party in such racist costumes, but they weren’t the only ones. One photo posted to Applegarth’s Instagram account shows her friend, Sally Coburn, also wearing blackface to imitate Kobe Bryant.

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