“RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Pearl is apologizing after a look she deemed “’90s Britney-esque” took a ton of heat after many believed it to be blackface.
Pearl posted, then deleted, a series of photos to Instagram this week showing off the new look — which featured bleached-blonde hair, a water cup, pink tracksuit and very tanned skin.
Fans jumped on her almost immediately, calling the look tone-deaf and comparing it to blackface. One wrote, “So y’all just gonna stay silent while Pearl from RuPaul’s Drag race posts photos of themself in Blackface, all the while other non-Black queens were hyping it up like it wasn’t clearly blackface?”
The pissed-off fan then, making a reference to the Alabama riverboat brawl, exclaimed, “Where’s my damn folding chair?”
Clearly, the comments reached Pearl, who posted an apology Thursday, writing, “The character i posted this morning was not meant to resemble any other background other than my own. she’s platinum blonde/blue eyes & meant to have 2000’s britney-esque tan.”
She continued, “I certainly didn’t mean to hurt anyone and will refrain from using any kind of tan at all when creating characters in the future. i’ve removed the post as to not continue to offend people.”
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