Creative Or Racist? Julianne Hough Dons Blackface For Halloween Costume

julianne hough-dresses up in black face-orange is the new black-halloween-the jasmine brand

It’s that time of year again. Folk push the envelope, getting uber creative with their costumes, resulting in what perceive as racist or culturally insensitive. Case in point, Dance With the Stars’ Julianne Hough. The 24-year-old professional dancer (who use to date Ryan Seacrest) was criticized for a Halloween costume where she attempted to darken her skin so that she appeared African American. Apparently, she was trying to dress up as ‘Crazy Eyes’ (played by actress Uzo Aduba), a character on the popular Netflix show, ‘Orange is the New Black’.

julianne hough-black face-halloween costume-the jasmine brand

It didn’t go over too well when some spotted the photo on twitter. After catching some online heat, Julianne hopped on twitter apologizing. She wrote:

I am a huge fan of the show ‘Orange is the New Black,’ actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created. It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.

What are your thoughts on Julianne’s black face? Was it innocent fun or highly insensitive?

Screen shot 2013-10-27 at 2.25.40 PM

Julianne Hough w/ Jasmine Brand This Summer

There are 34 comments for this article
  1. B L at 11:20 pm

    creative. wasn’t a lot of backlash when tyra banks used body paint to become other models.

  2. Anonymous at 1:42 am

    no, it was cute and innocent.

  3. Anonymous at 1:53 am

    It’s bullshit and I’m sick of folks using Halloween as their excuse to be insensitive and racist.

  4. The Mrs at 4:43 am

    i think it was innocent.

  5. Anonymous at 2:20 pm

    Innocent or not – she should have used better judgement. Stop painting your skin black – it’s never a good outcome!

  6. love at 4:59 pm

    Reason # 82 as to why you should have a black friend. ijs

  7. jazzy at 7:21 pm

    There are things you just don’t do. Even if she meant no harm. You should know that it may come with back lash, duh.

  8. Anonymous at 8:18 pm

    I believe when someone has malicious intent like the guys down in Florida and their Trayvon Martin costumes then it’s a problem. I mean, how do you properly portray a character if you don’t look like them? Otherwise she just would have been a white woman in an orange jumpsuit.

  9. rudolph lyrics at 9:43 pm

    just white people being white people. nothing more. something she’s comfortable with doing and blacks will defend her to no end. black people love whites more than they love themselves so it’s no surprise. if she does this in public, imagine what her and the white people she hang around with say on the regular.

    • Mika at 10:03 pm

      I 100% agree with you, it’s just too many previous cases of white people wearing black face, and how well documented it is that we find this offensive. I’m sorry she can take her apology & shove it up her ass. I just don’t believe any non-black person by now doesn’t know this is offensive. There no real consequences to their actions, so later they just come with that lame ass apology.

  10. Anonymous at 10:34 pm

    Innocent and clever, people need to calm down! No one made any comments about her dressing up as a lesbian…which she is in the show. what about that? Is it offensive to dress up as someone with a different sexual orientation?

    • To Anonymous Re: Dressing as a different Sexual Orientation at 1:17 am

      While I somewhat understand your intention, the answer is no, it is not offensive to dress up as a different sexual orientation because there are no distinctive markers that labels someone as being gay or lesbian. The issue with “dressing up” as a different race is that you use one type of garb to describe an entire group of people, effectively ignoring the complexities of their identity and reducing them to something that can be removed at the end of the night. She could have easily dressed up as Suzanne (“Crazy Eyes”) without the bronzer or whatever it was she used – people would have gotten the reference based on her hair and the ID tag hanging from her shirt. You can’t just paint on skin color and keep it moving, regardless of whether you’re Black, White, Asian, whatever.

    • kim at 11:12 pm

      How do you dress like a lesbian?I have friends that dress fly.What they don’t wear dresses and heels?What do you mean?

    • Anonymous at 7:52 pm

      preach it!

  11. DIVA at 12:11 pm

    I think it was innocent

  12. Chanele9boots at 12:52 pm

    I think she was careful not to take it ‘too far’ hence the bronzer instead of darker makeup. Either way, she looks ridiculous and it’s offensive. When little girls dress up as The Little Mermaid, they get a wig and a costume and keep it moving. They don’t paint their faces white. It’s unnecessary.

  13. Finfrosk at 7:52 pm

    OFF COURSE it’s not racist. That’s one of the stupidest things I’ve heard. When did it become racist to dress up as someone? JEEEEZUUUUUUZ.

  14. NotSure at 9:37 pm

    Not so sure if to get huffy and puffy about this, clearly I have not seen the show Orange is the new black. So I cant pull anything off the show to discuss. But clearly she wore and painted her face to blackface for a character she loved. Not saying its right to do. If you google images of blackface a lot of well known black celebs do “blackface”, are we saying its ok if they do but white people can’t. Beyoncé blackfaced, is it racist when she does it? Probably not. It still means the same thing though right? The problem with America is damned if you, damned if you don’t. I wish people would just mind their own business and move on. Stop being so overly sensitive, you have rights just like white folk do….and start the bashing in 3….2…..1

  15. kim at 11:08 pm

    I never understood why nobody had a problem with the title”Black is the new orange”I was a little annoyed about that.I did’ t care about her costume,I think we have more important things to concern ourselves with.

  16. osinobis at 6:14 am

    When little boys who are not white or from krypton dress up as superman they don’t paint there faces white. When little girls dress up as cinderella they don’t paint there faces white. #teamToMuch

  17. Julia at 2:17 pm

    She didn’t have to paint herself darker to play that character? None of the other girls look that committed to their costume any way. Julianna Hough is so dumb.

  18. A at 9:44 pm

    I feel like she knew there would be a backlash but she has the freedom do what she wants and doesn’t really care about others think. She should have to think twice about a halloween costume. I mean its not like she was a slave, She was a character from a tv show just like what people do at comicon they dress up as their favorite character. Come people we have other things to worry about then Juliane Hough’s halloween costume…

  19. Anonymous at 7:01 pm

    I guess everybody forgot the movie ‘White Chicks’. But that’s ok because nothing is ever racist when directed at white people is it. They just have to take it and shut up! Only in America is this stuff considered racist, such a sensitive nation for a nation that feels its so strong!

  20. mslady126 at 8:51 pm

    Jasmine please ask Uzo Aduba how she feels about the costume.. I wasn’t offended, but I’d love to know her thoughts..

  21. Anonymous at 11:50 am

    She didn’t have to paint her face black, that’s the whole problem. ^Obsinobis^ (above) said it best…when we were children dressing up as “white” characters, we didn’t paint our faces to figure out who or what we were. She had to know that she would catch some flack over it. It’s very insensitive, some things you just DON’T do. Common effin sense. Not cute! No excuses. She should’ve picked another damn character then.

    • mslady126 at 12:32 am

      Anonymous made a point earlier about black comedians painting their faces lighter and it not being perceived as racist. Dave Chappelle definitely has lightened his face and hair and noone said anything. In comparison to the Trayvion Martin Halloween costume (blatantly racist/tasteless) this is a non-issue.

  22. Anonymous at 9:21 pm

    i think that it was a racist move. you gon use a black face as a halloween costume? that symbolized that she awas being funny. Letz recap….. halloween is a day to “scare” or “frighten” people, not impersonate. whoever feels different, im sorry, but this is a racist pull. But I personally overlook negativity.
    – Jay Phranchize

    • Bethany at 11:13 pm

      As an black woman I disagree. She was simply being a character. Many people do not look at Halloween costumes with the intent to scare anymore. For example look at all the Playboy bunnies running around. This was simply for fun. She didn’t hurt anyone. She wasn’t derogatory towards any other race. She was playing a character. In film black face is offensive because it is saying that black people cannot even play themselves as well as a white person. She was having fun with her friends and she used makeup that was 7 shades too dark for her skin tone . It’s all in fun.

  23. Scott S at 5:38 pm

    The character’s race is color is as important as her hair.

    Why is it okay for black men to dress up as white chicks for an actual movie but an actress can’t dress up as a specific character. She was not mocking. She was not being racist. She was simply being “Crazy Eyes.”

  24. Billy J at 5:43 pm

    People misuse the word “racist” all the time. If anything at all could remotely be considered by someone, somewhere, somehow as offensive to an ethnic group, then it is “racist” and that is simply wrong! A racist is “a person who believes that a particular race is superior to another.” This is not racist.

  25. wildstar guides at 11:55 pm

    Which people empties any assignment end bins, Lots of tasks, Specially the two yet four individual brave tasks, Halt away together with growing something in using mission assignment tumble box, Which means as stirring but also attractive as seems. Because speaking with amongst the game hundreds(Thousands?) Relating to vocal efforts were classes, You travel up as about the may resemble a selection magazine fall but also put in evidence of your larger-than-life manners. In my eventually picked up my hoi worried about where given the job of the unenviable job within draining the goal transfer box, Searching by using tons of animal tusks, Groups, Wrestle concepts alongside venture important detritus.
    wildstar guides http://www.pilihjodoh.com/member/blog_post_view.php?postId=25225

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *