Asianfishing: What It Is, And When The Line Is Crossed

Celebrities like Ariana Grande have been accused of trying to "look Asian." When is it just makeup, and when is it appropriation?

For the second time in six months, pop artist Ariana Grande faced accusations of “Asianfishing” and yellowface. In April, she celebrated the debut of her R.E.M. makeup line at Ulta by posting a photo on Instagram showing her sporting elongated, nearly monolidded eyes and uncharacteristically light skin. While many fans were quick to cheer on Grande’s new look, others were quick to criticize her for Asianfishing, or mimicking Asian features as a style choice.

This isn’t the first time Grande has been accused of masquerading as a different race. The singer has been called out on numerous occasions for appropriating Black and Latina culture, so much so that she’s spawned her own category of memes. (It’s worth noting here that “Asianfishing” is derived from the term “Blackfishing,” which was coined by Wanna Thompson to address white people capitalizing off of Black culture and beauty.)