Awkwafina is a successful Asian-American actress and sort of rapper with NYC (specifically, Queens roots). However, the “cultural appropriator” tag has been bestowed upon her for years, and recently Twitter has revived the slander in full force.
The latest uptick in social media intensifying the slander towards Awkwafina is due to her role in the forthcoming Marvel film, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the 10 Rings. Our totally unscientific researche traced much of the chatter back to this tweet from @MonicasFlight, where an Awkwafina quote about refusing to do “accents” and be an Asian “minstrel” elicited all types of side-eyes.
The irony considering her aforementioned cultural appropriation was just too much for many on Twitter.
While her defenders are quick to bring up “code-switching” as an excuse for Awkwafina’s use of the “blaccent,” those with a nuanced take on the phenomena just ain’t having it. Mostly because she grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, which isn’t exactly the “hood” and because no one is buying that her dialect is the same when she’s amongst family or times that the cameras aren’t rolling.
As far as we know, her old “blaccent” is nowhere to be found in the new film but Twitter never forgets. Twitter user @HoodSocialism had some sharp, insightful criticism for Awkwafina.
“Non Black women like Awkwafina are not “code switching” with their forced stereotypical Blaccents. Their forced stereotypical Blaccents is a form of minstrelsy. If they’re code switching, why do those accents disappear when they’re around their family & friends??,” she tweeted.
The critique and slander dump is ongoing. We compiled some of the more poignant for archival purposes.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
https://twitter.com/HoodSocialism/status/1427309110006059014
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Photo: Getty
