There has been one new alarming trend surfacing on the internet in relation to the beauty industry and beauty influencers on social media.

Many beauty influencers have been accused of wearing blackface and attempting to look black or mixed with black in order to gain more followers on social media. This trend has been assigned the hashtag, #blackfishing.

It appears to be females on social media who are taking advantage of the popularity of black features such a curvaceous figures, full lips, brown skin, and protective styles. These are all features that have become popular and trendy in the beauty community. These women who are being accused have been found to not be of african descent in any way yet tanning their skin, plumping their lips and wearing protective styles such as faux locs.

This can be identified as outright cultural appropriation and a new form of blackface. Black features are selling products and gaining followers and in the hopes of becoming successful influencers, it appears these women are attempting to #blackfish their followers.