Twitter erupts over Serena 'fans' who wore blackface to Aussie final
Was this ignorant fan at the Australian Open being hateful and mean-spirited toward Serena Williams, or was this a case of VERY unfortunate cultural ignorance gone horribly wrong?
Either way, when a pair of women attended Saturday's Aussie final (won by Angelique Kerber in a stunner) sporting black facepaint (one partially, the other in full blackface), it did not go over well on social media.
There's a Serena Williams fan in the crowd ... wearing blackface. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/OyO57EHxHw
— Russell Brown (@publicaddress) January 28, 2016
The act of a white person painting one's face to pose as black has an extremely bigoted and derogatory connotation in American history -- and is considered beyond taboo in modern times.
The gracious-in-defeat Williams has not commented on her official Twitter account. But Twitter is speaking STRONGLY against the women, inadvertent or not.
@NatEdwards_AFL @lovelyfealways @publicaddress Um, in a stadium full of Aussies, no one was like "WTFdon't do that"
— Rob (@Schenck) January 28, 2016
@publicaddress So glad you got a pic! Watching on my computer I had to do a double take. Did I really see that...WTF?!
— JDB (@3JDB1000) January 28, 2016
@publicaddress @RevrendDoctor what was she thinking! The level of insensitivity
— Outstanding! (@mindlessphotos) January 28, 2016
@publicaddress @DawnMGibson We're gonnaneed a bigger NOPE
— andrécarringtonPhD (@prof_carrington) January 28, 2016
@xbiscaynebaex @publicaddress it's straight bonkers they let her in. They better have kicked her out.
— John Q Hanso™ (@Astro_Hanso) January 28, 2016
@publicaddress @alfredo1994 :'( pic.twitter.com/oeNinjojVm
— WilliamsSistahs(@Gabriellesse) January 28, 2016
@publicaddress @rolandsmartin I see no fan. I see an ignorant, disrespectful, fool. Seriously???? Is this not 2016?
— Tamara Johnson (@304TheRevTJ) January 28, 2016
@MarkSharon_DP @publicaddress @ChuckModi1 I don't know her; the pic shows that she's ignorant and insensitive at best, racist at worst.
— felicia(@felicianista) January 30, 2016
@publicaddress I want her to know that she's not bright. Bright yellow but...NOPE pic.twitter.com/rYUUyiFrvt
— Flyy/Lady (@Gem2Flyy) January 28, 2016
Staggering to me that no-one stopped her before she left the house - "Yeahlook, just ... just don't do that." https://t.co/MqmT33Il6a
— Steve Smith (@stevesmithffx) January 30, 2016
who are you going as?
— Hussein Faroole (@xmoxamud) January 28, 2016
serena williams
don't forget to bring the blackface#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/hoXFuf2n3y