In today's day and age, there is always some new trend or fad that we are all following along with. Most people just tag along without thinking of what exactly it is that they are joining. Everyone just wants to fit in with what's new and hot. Because of this, things can get out of hand or blown way out of proportion very quickly. The most recent case of something like this is the whole charcoal mask being considered blackface scandal. Being a young black woman, the whole blackface situation hits rather close to home for me. But what really is going on here?
According to a lot of recent accusations, people are rather offended by the use of these charcoal masks. They're very offended by the number of people that takes pictures of themselves using the face masks and posting it on social media. Many people are saying that those using the mask are not thinking of how it looks to others.
But honestly, it's really being blown out of proportion.
Now, I completely understand the blackface issue, and I agree that it is NOT okay to wear blackface. I do not condone that at all because it is horribly wrong and degrading. However, this is a completely different concept.
These face masks are bought as part of a skincare routine for people, myself included. It is black because of the activated charcoal that's in it. Yes, there may be people out there that have bad intentions when using these face masks, but the majority of people that use it are using it for their clogged pores, which is the reason charcoal face masks are used.
For some reason, this generation likes to always be on the defense about things. Anything that seems even remotely possible to be taken the wrong way is suddenly the end of the world. We must have everything our way and it all has to be perfect. Everything is offensive and we all must have something to say. This is an issue that we all struggle with and, in turn, it causes news like this.
Personally, I just don't see a problem with these masks. I don't believe that everyone should be raising hell about it because, well, it's just a way for people to take care of their skin. I just think that this whole situation has become bigger than it really needs to be. Hate me if you want to, but I am choosing not to look at this from the negative perspective because I honestly believe it has nothing to do with the problem of blackface.