New Bob Marley filter on Snapchat has been criticised for being the digital equivalent of blackface

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Snapchat is facing criticism for introducing a Bob Marley filter to its app which pastes the late singer’s face over the user’s, adding cartoon dreadlocks and a cap.

The social media company is being accused not only of introducing the digital equivalent of blackface, but also for the timing of the filter: it appears to have been introduced to mark 20 April (or 4/20), an important day in weed culture – but nothing to do with Bob Marley himself, outside of the musician’s own involvement with marijuana.

Rosie (@rsiereilly) hoooooooly shit @Snapchat what the fuck were you thinking with the Bob Marley blackface filter?

Aaisha Dadi Patel, a writer for South Africa’s Daily Vox, said that “the filter is a form of blackface, cultural appropriation, and totally problematic… This is a caricature of a black person.

“Besides that, Snapchat is reducing the legacy of a musical great to smoking weed.”

ℳ (@QMVIA) I'm disgusted by what I've seen from @Snapchat today, honestly cannot believe this.

ℳ (@QMVIA) How many more times will racism be brushed off for entertainment or amusement?

Snapchat messed up with its Bob Marley tribute, plain and simple | Michael Arceneaux Read more

Prominent Snapchat users have already come under fire for using the filter themselves: celebrity Kylie Jenner posted a pair of videos of herself playing around with the filter, eliciting criticism from others.

The Guardian asked Snapchat whether it considered the optics of such a filter before rolling it out, and whether the firm consulted anyone over whether or not it might be offensive or hurtful. Snapchat said: