Kuwaiti Make-Up Artist Under Fire for Posting Photo of Black Model

Kuwaiti makeup artist and influencer, Ghadeer Sultan has faced criticism for posting a photo of herself painted in dark makeup.

Critics have condemned the move, calling the dark version blackface and terming it an act of racism.

Ghadeer Sultan first posted a short video clip on her Instagram page on Wednesday, with the song We Are the World playing in the background, showcasing her different looks in a range of skin colours and wigs.

She then posted a photo of herself in blackface, which has garnered more than 44,000 likes.

Sultan's page, which has two million followers, was then inundated with comments denouncing her blackface while others argued she had done nothing wrong.

"You should know better than this," Instagram user @baraakdm wrote. "This is racist, no matter how [you] put it."

"We don't even get [accepted] for our beauty," another user, domichantal412 commented. "And WE ARE NOT A COSTUME! YOU CAN NOT GO AND TRY OUR FLAWLESS FEATURES on and think it is okay."

In response, Sultan posted another photo of herself in blackface, with a caption explaining that she is not a racist."I hate racism," she wrote. "What I've done is only to show what I am capable of. I love you all."

This is not the first time a beauty influencer from Kuwait has faced controversy.

Last year, beauty blogger Sondos al-Qattan was heavily criticized on social media after she posted a video attacking Kuwait's new laws aimed at improving conditions for Filipino domestic workers.

In the aftermath of her comments and amid calls for a boycott of businesses linked to the influencer, several global beauty brands that al-Qattan is affiliated with, including Max Factor and French perfume brand M Micallef, severed ties with her.

What are your thoughts?

Source: Al Jazeera

Header Image Credit: Screenshot/Instagram [Al Jazeera]