Khloe Kardashian accused of ‘Blackfishing’ with Halloween costume

Khloe Kardashian has been accused of darkening her skin and “Blackfishing” after dressing as a Bratz doll for Halloween.

On Tuesday (31 October), Khloe shared a series of photos of her outfit. However, fans declared that the reality star was “unrecognisable” – and not simply because her costume had been a success.

Instead, fans noticed that Khloe’s skin appeared significantly darker in the pictures. This criticism was also aimed at Jenner following the release of her Bratz doll, which fans said had a “darkened” skin tone.

“I love u khlo but this ain’t it! U didn’t have to become darker to be a bratz doll,” one fan wrote, while another comment read: “Girl I thought this was a random Black woman.”

First hitting the shelves in 2001, dolls from the toy company are known for their big lips and heavy eye make-up, with Khloe’s sister Kylie Jenner being immortalised in plastic for a range of Bratz dolls this summer.

Following in the sibling’s footsteps, Khloe decided to dress as a Bratz doll for Halloween, with long blonde hair reaching the back of her knees, a punky yellow tartan dress with matching beret and bag, and a white turtle neck top. She wore additional prosthetics on her lips to emulate the iconic Bratz pout.

“No one’s gonna talk about her skin being 10 times darker,” one follower wrote. “Ooh gurl that tan looks a little too dark don’t you think?” another echoed.

One comment read: “Why are you so brown, Khloe?!”, with another fan questioning: “You were Black for Halloween?”

“How is this not blackfishing?” one top comment read. This term was coined by journalist Wanna Thompson in 2018 and is used to describe someone accused of trying to appear Black on social media by using makeup, hair products and in some cases, surgery to drastically change their appearance.

Previously speaking to The Independent, writer Stephanie Yeboah described blackfishing as a “type of Blackface”, where “white women co-opt, profit and benefit from appropriating another race”.

“A lot of these women receive endorsements from beauty and fashion brands based on the ‘black aesthetic’ but unfortunately when it comes to using real black women for campaigns, we are often sidelined and forgotten about,” she said.

One celebrity previously accused of Blackfishing is former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson, who faced criticism after she appeared in the video for her song “Boyz” with her skin heavily tanned and her hair styled with wigs and braids.

Nelson credited her tan to a recent holiday in Antigua, but stressed that she had never intended to offend people of colour with the video.

In the comment section beneath Khloe’s post, many Instagram users were quick to compare the reality star to Nelson. “Wait Khloe I didn’t know you and jesy Nelson were sisters,” one comment read.

Over the years, members of the Kardashian family have faced multiple accusations of appropriating Black culture. Khloe’s sister Kim has particularly faced criticism for appearing to darken her skin and wearing her hair in braids.

Speaking in 2021, Kim said that she would “never do anything to appropriate any culture” while acknowledging the Blackfishing accusations.

“Honestly, a lot of the time it comes from my daughter asking us to do matching hair,” she said. “And I’ve had these conversations with her that are like, ‘Hey, maybe this hairstyle would be better on you and not on me.’

“But I also want her to feel that I can do a hairstyle with her and not make it that big of a deal either if that’s something that she’s really asking for, and really wants. But I’ve learned and grown over the years, and figured out good ways to communicate with all my kids about all this.”