A little late to the game here but it appears Shang-Chi star Awkwafina has (temporarily?) quit Twitter. Before bidding the social media site adieu, the Asian American actress addressed the long standing criticism over her use of “blaccent” in her work, saying it was never her intention to “mock, belittle or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others”. The actress, whose real name is Nora Lum, grew up in New York and is of mixed Chinese and Korean descent.
Since her breakout role in 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, accusations of her misappropriating black culture to push her career forward have continued to dog the actress since her debut as a rapper ten years ago. As a non African-American, Awkwafina’s use of “blaccent” and adapting African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) and then eventually dropping the accent when it no longer benefits is one thing that has been widely criticised by many.
In her statement, Awkwafina cited her immigrant upbringing as what influenced her the most. “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.”
Following up her lengthy statement with two other tweets, the actress thanked her fans for their continued love and support. She also clarified that she is only retiring from “the ingrown toenail that is Twitter. Not retiring from anything else…”
Source: 1
Huh
what did she say? I mean she says there that her environment and immigrants influence how she talk, so what is the issue here?
Anon
Apparently, it seems its faked or exaggerated ; that it’s not her normal or usual speech; that she can use or not use it depending on whether it is advantageous to her or not.
IMY
The neighborhood she grew up in does not have a large black population so to argue that she only picked up the accent b/c of her environment is false. She used the accent when she was a youtube nobody but once she got some mainstream fame she quickly dropped it. If it was her real accent, nobody would be mad at her. But the fact that it was all an act, like some caricature is why the black community is not here for her nonsense.
Hi5
I just can’t stand her… there’s just something in the way she speaks like she’s trying so hard… love shangchi but I wasn’t sure why they’d cast her.. so damn annoying …
Violette
I’m Asian American and her statements have been ‘non-apologies’. All she had to do is sincerely apologize, acknowledge that it wasn’t right to just put on a black accent for comedy or whenever she feels like it, and try to do better. People would have moved on but her refusal to acknowledge it and all this word salad and using the immigrant status is BS!!!; it isn’t doing her any good. I liked Shang Chi but won’t be supporting her.