Just months after taking heat for its Bob Marley filter—which darkened users’ skin—Snapchat released a filter on Tuesday (August 9) that was quickly denounced as yellowface.
Twitter user Grace Sparapani (@tequilafunrise)—a Korean-American art student whose entire timeline is a testament to her commitment to racial justice—was the first to bring attention to the “Anime” filter.
.@Snapchat wanna tell me why u thought this yellowface was ok?? pic.twitter.com/sgpW4AFPsE
— grace (@tequilafunrise) August 9, 2016
Other users followed suit, calling out the company for the filter’s resemblance to caricatures of stereotypical images of Asian people, including closed, slanted eyes.
@Snapchat @snapchatsupport idk if u realize, but this filter is yellowface and u should take it down pic.twitter.com/MLSHz0Bbkl
— lia (@limb_light) August 9, 2016
me before and after using the snapchat yellowface filter pic.twitter.com/BEdKdUO72J
— alex (@steven_lebron) August 10, 2016
"Racism…isn’t anything new. It’s just been formalized in a Snapchat filter. You just made racism easier.”https://t.co/7g3bEki3yW
— Sarah Emerson (@SarahNEmerson) August 10, 2016
Hi @Snapchat I’d like to apply for your open "Is This Racist?" Manager role. https://t.co/sJ0rDijLlb
— Amanda Rosenberg (@AmandaRosenberg) August 11, 2016
After seeing the negative response to the filter, a Snapchat official told The Verge that the lens was “inspired by anime, and was meant to be playful.” It has been taken down permanently.
At least one user isn’t interested in the company’s explanation. From Sparapani:
also @Snapchat no apology and "it was just meant to be fun" line perpetuates narrative that social justice is just inability to "have fun"
— grace (@tequilafunrise) August 11, 2016
@Snapchat as opposed to what it is: standing up for ourselves! by perpetuating this narrative ur also endorsing ppls harassment
— grace (@tequilafunrise) August 11, 2016
(H/t Mic, The New York Times)