Another day, another opportunity for the internet to be the worst. On June 20, singer Halsey revealed that she’ll be on the cover of the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone. Debuting the cover of “The Hot Issue” on her Instagram, the “Eastside” songstress is photographed in a white tank top, rocking not only her natural hair, but some badass stubble on her armpits. The singer a.k.a Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, looks seriously gorgeous.
“Why does Halsey look black [sic] here? Who changed her looks and skin colour? She usually doe[s] not look like this!” one fan commented, per ET Canada. Another added, “I was shocked honestly to see a brown Halsey.” and a third commenter was even more blunt: “When I saw her on ‘SNL” she was white and blonde. This doesn’t look like the same person.”
We can understand why it happens Listen, we’re not completely oblivious. The fact that people continue to be surprised that Halsey is, in fact, a biracial woman is in part because she’s white-passing, something the singer herself acknowledges. Passing occurs when a member of a certain group presents themselves as belonging to another group. This can be done intentionally or unintentionally and can be apply to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or even religion.
View this post on Instagram 💗👀✌🏼🐰@iamhalsey for @playboy by me @ramona_rosales coming soon to a newsstand near you! #halsey #playboy #musicissue #nowornever #gasoline #closer #newamericana #color #ramonarosales #hopelessfountainkingdom #halseyplayboyWhich is surprising for a few reasons. First, these guys should probably just STFU and pay attention to the task at hand.
By being constantly “OMG what?” surprised by the info that Halsey is biracial, we’re sending the message that there’s one way to look—and, more precisely, be—biracial; one that the singer, and a ton of other biracial people, don’t fit into. And FYI, skin tone isn’t stagnant. Non-white people tan, too!
Inherent in Halsey’s dilemma between TLC and Britney Spears is the idea that she *has* to choose one, and that her choice is a marker of her racial identity. But what’s even more frustrating is that Halsey *has* chosen her identity: As a Black woman. But, when she’s spoken out or tweeted about issues affecting people of colour—like an April 2018 tweet about limited haircare products at hotels—she’s consistently told to stay in her white lane.