Woman Accused Of Blackface After 'Recreating' Herself As Kobe Bryant

A TikToker who portrayed the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in one of her makeup looks has been accused of using blackface.

Bryant, 41, sadly died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 while traveling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant to a basketball event.

A controversial TikTok user going by the handle @easy_baobo paid 'tribute' to the deceased NBA player in 2022 by disguising up as him.

TikTok / @easy_baobo

The video, which has been posted twice in a year, has drawn a lot of criticism since many believe that the creator went too far.

The Kobe "recreation" has outraged many social media users, who have labeled the anonymous user racist for wearing blackface.

In the past, non-black people have utilized blackface to depict a black character in a play, movie, or comedy routine.

TikTok / @easy_baobo

Blackface was more than just makeup; it was a tool for racial discrimination, mockery, and the promotion of negative perceptions.

Blackface is offensive, which is why so many people have taken to TikTok and Twitter to express their outrage at the Bryant video.

The videos in question have received 200,000 views and hundreds of comments over the past year.

TikTok / @easy_baobo

The creator has admitted that she merely "likes" Bryant and "misses" him.

She made the remark in response to a message that read: "Me scrolling through the comments to see if anyone calls them racist" on one of her videos.

Bryant is the only Black celebrity that the cosmetics enthusiast has impersonated as of the time of writing.

She has created transformation videos for celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn, Marvel star Elizabeth Olson, DC Comics icon The Joker, and Tilda Swinton in other places.

One TikTok user commented under one of the videos: “This is disrespectful. Where’s Vanessa [Bryant] so she can sue”.

Twitter / @DailyLoud

Another wrote: “You have a great talent but you know this is ‘Black Face’ right?”

Twitter / @DailyLoud

A third said: “Call a spade how it lay.”

Twitter / @DailyLoud

Many social media users, however, saw the video as art rather than blackface or a blatant mockery of the basketball player.

Twitter / @DailyLoud

One Twitter user said: “I thought ‘black face’ mean purposely mocking, or creating a false character?”

Another commented: “I feel like she’s just displaying her make-up art talent. Blackface is really a reach here.”

Twitter / @DailyLoud

A third agreed and wrote: “I honestly don’t see it as racism, this was a good remake, a tad bit disturbing.”