Selena Gomez was accused of dressing in blackface at the Met Gala because she had a fake tan that was noticeably darker than her natural skin tone. She responded to the criticism with a video of herself walking away from the camera, which suggests that she regrets the look. Her makeup artist may have gone overboard with the spray tan, but was that blackface? Despite the outrage, one commentator noted that Gomez's tan "was more inspired by the President than [her] skinfolk".
Selena Gomez is not the only celebrity to be accused of blackface. Gigi Hadid did a photo shoot with Vogue Italia and was accused of blackface. Not only was she tanned, she had a purple afro on one of the shots. Hadid said that she has no creative control over the photos and that Vogue Italia's intentions were not executed correctly. While Vogue Italia could have reached out to naturally tan models, names sell in fashion.
Beauty treatments are used to (1) enhance what one already has or (2) go against nature and give someone something they do not have. Since tanning is more prevalent in places where pale is the norm, that is what tanning seems to be. It is intended to give naturally pale people a sun-kissed complexion in the same way that skin bleaching and whitening creams give normally tan people a lighter complexion. Generally, people who tan do not aim to change their race but to have something they can't have otherwise. It's like getting extensions or piercings.
Now, if you are tanning to mock black people, that is definitely blackface. However, a tan is a tan. I personally think people should work with what they have, but don't think tanning, whether it's spray or through being in the sun, is inherently racist.
https://www.girlfriend.com.au/selena-gomez-gets-called-out-for-blackface
http://madamenoire.com/619009/emmaatan-spray-tan-blackface/
https://www.girlfriend.com.au/selena-gomez-responds-to-those-blackface-allegations
https://twitter.com/blancapadillla/status/991797857572282368/photo/1
https://globalnews.ca/news/4187029/gigi-hadid-blackface-vogue-italia/
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