An Asian makeup artist who makes videos transforming herself into various American celebrities is under fire after using her art to look like 18-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant.
The year-old video has resurfaced on social media, sparking a discussion on artistic license and minstrel mockery.
Many on social media are blasting her painting skills, saying she is performing “blackface,” and there is no place for that in this day and time.
The artist, whose TikTok name is @Easy_BaoBo, posted a video on the social media platform on May 27, 2022, of her painting herself as the Hall of Fame shooting guard, who died at 41 in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
To date, the post has received 182.3K views and hundreds of comments, with many people having mixed responses to the original video.
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Easy Bao Bo’s look was achieved by using prosthetics to create the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s African features and brown paint to obtain his rich mocha skin. She also used sponges and black paint to create his signature eyebrows, mustache, beard, and close haircut.
While multiple comments celebrated how talented she is, many were aghast, saying variations of “That’s not allowed… I don’t think,” “Swear they banned that a while ago,” or “Don’t know how to feel about this.”
The backlash was so overwhelming the artist posted another video of her painted as Kobe with the caption, “Kobe is forever in my heart #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #kobebryant24 limitation makeup not imitating people just respect.”
In the 9-second clip, shared two days later, she morphs from being a medium-haired Asian woman with glasses to the five-time NBA champion.
@easy_baobo Kobe is forever in my heart #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #kobebryant24 ♬ original sound –…
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