brownface

noun

brown·face ˈbrau̇n-ˌfās

: dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a person of color usually of Latin American, Middle Eastern, or South Asian descent and especially to mock or ridicule such people compare blackface

Note: The use of brownface makeup is considered deeply offensive.

Examples of brownface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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John Leguizamo, introducing Television Academy chair Cris Abrego, made a fiery speech calling out the plentiful brownface in Hollywood’s past and celebrating the diversity among this year’s nominees (34 actors of color were nominated in the performance categories). —

Constance Grady, Vox, 16 Sep. 2024 The editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned after a photo of him and his wife dressed in brownface for Halloween in 2013 surfaced. —

Emma Colton, Washington Examiner, 11 June 2020 The practice of brownface—a close cousin of yellowface that involved a white actor darkening their skin through mounds of makeup to cosplay as South Asian—was a routine charade for many white actors. —

Hazlitt, 6 Sep. 2023