Golden Globe winner Awkwafina quits Twitter after being trolled over her ‘blaccent’: Actress apologizes for ‘cultural appropriation’ and slams the social media platform for encouraging her to ‘kill herself’
- Awkwafina issued a statement about her use of African American Vernacular English, also referred to as a ‘blaccent,’ over the years
- ‘Blaccent’ is defined as a combination of the words ‘black’ and ‘accent’ and is when a non-black person imitates black English
- The award-winning actress, whose real name is Nora Lum, has starred in the hit films Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- The 33-year-old found fame in 2012 after her music video for My Vag went viral and since she has been accused of cultural appropriation for her ‘blaccent’
- ‘But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature. It never has, and it never was,’
- She also announced she was leaving Twitter, although she would remain on her other social media sites. ‘I am retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter’
Golden Globe winner Awkwafina finally addressed criticism of her use of ‘blaccent’ and announced that she is retiring from ‘the ingrown toenail that is Twitter.’
There was outcry two weeks ago over her ‘Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance’ nomination for an NAACP Image Award, which historically honors black performers. Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, was nominated for her work as Sisudatu, or Sisu the dragon, in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon.
The actress has also come under fire over the years for using a ‘blaccent’ when portraying most of her characters in TV shows and movies that have led to her rise in Hollywood.
The 33-year-old found fame in 2012 after her music video for ‘My Vag’ went viral on YouTube, and she has since been accused of cultural appropriation for her use of a ‘blaccent’ in her early online rap career and in comedic roles such as in the film Ocean’s Eight and Crazy Rich Asians.
‘Blaccent’ is defined as a combination of the words ‘black’ and ‘accent’ and is when a non-black person imitates black English.
The actress and comedian took to social media on Saturday and issued a statement about her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also referred to as a ‘blaccent,’ over the years.
In her statement, Awkwafina wrote that ‘as a non-Black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group.’
Awkwafina also drew negative attention for a 2017 VICE interview where she said: ‘I’ve walked out of auditions where the casting director all of a sudden changed her mind and asked for accents. I refuse to do accents. And I think like – so far, like a lot of the parts I’ve gone out for have been really real characters and being Asian is not part of their plotline.’
The award-winning actress has starred in the hit films such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. She was born to a Chinese-American father and a Korean mother and raised in Forest Hills, Queens.
Golden Globe winner Awkwafina (pictured) finally addressed criticism of her use of ‘blaccent’ and announced that she was retiring from ‘the ingrown toenail that is Twitter’
There was outcry two weeks ago over her ‘Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance’ nomination for an NAACP Image Award for her work as Sisudatu, or Sisu the dragon (pictured), in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon.
The actress and comedian took to social media on Saturday and issued a statement about her use of African American Vernacular English, also referred to as a ‘blaccent,’ over the years
In September 2021, the actress offered a short response when she was asked about her use of AAVE and a blaccent in an interview with Reuters Showbiz.
‘Um, you know, I’m open to the conversation,’ she said at the time. ‘I think it, you know, it’s really something that is a little bit multi-faceted and layered.’
In her statement Saturday, she began: ‘There is a sociopolitical context to everything, especially the historical context of the African American community in this country
‘It is a group that is disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies and law enforcement policies — all while having historically and routinely seen their culture stolen, exploited, and appropriated by the *dominant* culture for monetary gain without any acknowledgement nor respect for where those roots come from, the pioneers of its beginnings, and the artists that perfected and mastered the craft.’
‘But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature. It never has, and it never was,’ Awkwafina said.
‘I think as a group, Asian Americans are still trying to figure out what that journey means for them – what is correct and where they don’t belong,’ she continued.
‘And though I’m still learning and doing that personal work, I know for sure that I want to spend the rest of my career doing nothing but uplifting our communities. We do this first by failing, learning, acknowledging, hearing and empathizing… And I will continue, tirelessly, to do just that.’
In a separate post she announced she was leaving Twitter, although she said she’ll remain on her other social media sites.
The award-winning actress, whose real name is Nora Lum (right), has starred in the hit films Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, pictured with castmates
‘I am retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter,’ she tweeted. ‘Not retiring from anything else, even if I wanted to, and I didn’t drunkenly hit someone with a shoehorn and now escaping as a fugitive. Also am avail on all other socials that don’t tell you to kill yourself!’
‘Well, I’ll see you in a few years, Twitter – per my therapist,’ she continued. ‘To my fans, thank you for continuing to love and support someone who wishes they could be a better person for you. I apologize if I ever fell short, in anything I did. You’re in my heart always.’
But not everyone was impressed with the actress’ non-apology.
‘Awkwafina my immigrant background allowed me to carve an American identity off the movies and tv shows I watched, the children I went to public school with, and my undying love and respect for hip hop culture. It is possible to enjoy elements of someone else’s culture w/out imitation,’ one person replied to her tweet.
Another person tweeted: ‘This is not a good apology. Why can’t people simply say ‘I’m so sorry. I promise to keep learning and not do this awful thing again.’ And then don’t do it again.’
While another person replied, ‘Gurl [sic], this is not a apology. It’s an excuse’
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