Rapper Bhad Bhabie attempted to refute 'Blackfishing' accusations by comparing herself to Tarzan in an Instagram live

• 17-year-old rapper Bhad Bhabie has recently sustained accusations of "Blackfishing" after posting a video in which her skin appears darker than usual.
• While trying to defend against the accusations on Instagram live, she compared herself growing up in "the hood" to the story of Tarzan.
• Tarzan trended today in the United States as people called Bhad Bhabie out for the comparison, which calls back to racist characterizations of Black people.
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Bhad Bhabie has come under fire for comparing herself to Tarzan as a means of defending against accusations of "Blackfishing" and appropriating Black culture. The 17-year-old rapper, whose real name is Danielle Bregoli, has recently faced accusations of "Blackfishing," a term created by signifying white people — typically white women — selectively adopting aspects of Blackness that they stand to benefit from on social media.

Bhad Bhabie was most recently accused of "Blackfishing" following an Instagram post from April 6 in which her skin appears notably darker than in previous posts. That day, she trended on Twitter, with many calling out her darker skin tone.

A post shared by Bhabie (@bhadbhabie)Apr 6, 2020 at 4:47am PDT

She addressed the accusations at the time, writing on her Instagram story, per Complex, "Millions of people sick, thousand dying every day and y'all worried about me getting my makeup done for a photoshoot? I'm usually the wild one but y'all need to chill and focus on what's important right now."

On Monday, she spoke about the accusations while live on Instagram, saying that the foundation "blended fine, y'all just seen it with the light on it and got dramatic." At another point in the live, however, she attempted to further defend herself against the accusations, saying, "Y'all say that I try to be black, because I — maybe a reason of me trying to be black is that I grew up in the hood. Tarzan, right, he — the story of Tarzan…"

—the knowledge industry (@byrunt) April 14, 2020

People on Twitter were quick to call her out for the comparison, in which she effectively equates her growing up in "the hood" to Tarzan growing up amongst gorillas, a problematic analogy that harkens back to racist characterizations about Black people. (Note: Bhad Bhabie grew up in Boynton Beach, a city in Palm Beach County, Florida). The clip of her comparing herself to Tarzan went viral, causing Tarzan to trend in the United States.

—if you give a nigga a quarantine (@_kate_the_grate) April 14, 2020

—Uncle Charlie (@LastNameWiIson) April 14, 2020

—NOT HER BITCHASS DADDY (@sirHASHington) April 14, 2020

Many remarked upon the word "Tarzan" trending, and then realizing it was because of Bhad Bhabie's comments.

— Oh Worm? ✨ (@tippytoeshaley) April 14, 2020

—Eliza (@8ELIZA88) April 14, 2020

Overall, people are dissatisfied with Bhad Bhabie's comments regarding the accusations, particularly given the fact that she has long been criticized for appropriating Black culture since her "cash me outside" debut.

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