TikTok is the widely popularized app millions of people around the world have been using to express their creativity. From dancing to making edits of their favourite celebrities and sharing funny content, the app has taken the world by storm. However, there has been a rise of videos expressing preferences toward Black people, except it comes off as fetishizing. It’s concerning, to say the least.
Don’t get me wrong, having a preference is your choice, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, reaching a point where you are fetishizing a certain group of people, and only mentioning them to get views or clout, is just a sign of disrespect and ignorance.
On Twitter, rapper Vince Staples addressed a video of a white woman describing what she loves about Black men. She objectified them, even referring to their appearance as “chocolate.”
The video gets worse when she says, “Yes, my dad is okay with me dating Black guys,” or “I can’t wait to find mine.” If I’m being honest, that video gave me second-hand embarrassment and a sense of uncomfortableness when she began to sexualize Black men as if they were trophies. Black men are not some prized possession you get to take home for the day and then move on to the next — these are real men with real emotions.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this type of behaviour on TikTok — I’ve noticed plenty of women fetishize Black men, talking about their lips, their bodies, if they have the “hood” aesthetic and more. It is insensitive because, while they put Black men on a pedestal for their appearance, it desensitizes them and makes them feel inhuman.
Black guys aren’t the only ones who go through this fetishization. It happens to Black girls on TikTok, too. The number of times I’ve seen a white guy post, “I love Black girls,” “Black girls have the nicest butt,” “I love Black girls because they can be aggressive back” or “I love girls with braids” rubs me the wrong way.
As a Black girl, when men constantly objectify us, it makes us feel like we are just a stereotype and that we have nothing else to offer.
It also upsets me when I see Black girls commenting under a white guy’s TikTok video where he is objectifying their physical appearance. Black girls have always been told they are undesirable which feeds into their insecurities, and when they see a man post about them, they feel loved. But is it genuine or is it just for show? Are we just a trend that is eventually going to die out?
I hope people realize that fetishizing a group of people––especially one who is already discriminated against–– shouldn’t be something to brag about.
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