Nikita Dragun is under fire for posting a six-word tweet that no one really asked for.

A weird, potentially attention-seeking tweet posted by YouTuber Nikita Dragun yesterday has drawn a flurry of intense criticism online. The six-word tweet reads: “What race is Nikita gonna be today?” Yikes. 

The beauty influencer – who boasts 3.65 million subscribers on YouTube – has a history of being called out for cultural appropriation that dates back to 2018.

She more recently came under fire a couple of weeks ago for posting the photo (below) to Instagram.  “It’s the Blackfishing for me”, read one comment that pulled over 4000 likes. 

Blackfishing (which comes from the term ‘catfishing'), refers to “the growing practice of white social media influencers using self-tanner, makeup and plastic surgery to project a black, or mixed race aesthetic online”, according to Sofia Ferreira Santos at the Media Diversity Institute.

Santos writes that the practice is a problem because it commodifies Black culture, “all the while knowing [non-Black women] can wipe off their tan or straighten their hair when it is no longer convenient to pretend to be Black”. 

So it’s no wonder that the 24-year-old makeup artist, who identifies as having both Mexican and Vietnamese heritage, is copping flack for what seems to be a cavalier response to the accusations. Fellow YouTuber Nyma Tang, for example, known for campaigning against colourism, retweeted Nikita with the caption “this shit is not funny”.

Others were even more blunt. 

Nikita followed up her initial by post by suggesting that the tweet was a reference to her mixed-race heritage.

But many fans weren't convinced.

YouTubers are starting to earn a reputation for being problematic. Influencer Jeffree Star, for example (who has also been called out for racism), was accused of some very disturbing behaviour just last week. Other problematic stars who came up on the platform include Logan Paul, who once vowed to "go gay for a month" and filmed the body of a man who had likely died by suicide in Japan. 

So you know. Maybe it's fine you're not a famous YouTuber, after all.

Main Image Credit: Licensed By Getty

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