Rita Ora Accused Of Blackfishing After Fans Realize She's White

Rita Ora is white, but apparently no one ever told her hairstylist — or her fans, for that matter!

Now, after a viral tweet reminded everyone that both of the singer’s parents are white, fans are accusing the 29-year-old of “blackfishing” because of her penchant for rocking historically Black hairstyles — something we’ve come to know as cultural appropriation.

The Twitter user attached a pic of Ora with her parents alongside photos of the singer with questionable hairstyles and wrote:

“Finding out rita ora isn’t black at all and both of her parents are white albanians is so trippy. the girls BEEN blackfishing.”

For those who don’t know (and there are apparently a lot of you), the Black Widow hitmaker’s family is from Kosovo, a self-declared independent country in the Balkan Peninsula made up primarily of Albanian and Serbian people.

Ora, for her part, has always been upfront about her white European heritage. In a 2016 interview on The Wendy Williams Show, the always frank Wendy Williams told her straight up:

“I thought you were half-Black and half-white, or something like that!”

To which she replied:

“Everybody usually does. I might as well be. But no, I’m Albanian.”

Might as well be, huh? The very crucial distinction clearly hasn’t stopped Ora from repeatedly wearing her hair in traditionally Black styles like box braids, cornrows, and even an afro.

These hairstyles paired with Ora’s tan skin tone have apparently led more than a few fans — as well as certain daytime talk show hosts — to think she’s Black or mixed-race. But the caucasian’s out of the bag now, and fans are accusing Ora and her team of trying to cash in on the assumption.

Rita Ora as Mel B — Rita as Mel B on ‘Lip Sync Battle’. / (c) YouTube

Social media users wrote comments like:

“She wants to be seen as black to appear edgy and with some swag, and also wants to be white to enjoy the “white privilege”. That’s Kardashian culture vulture level BS.”

“I just found out that Rita Ora isn’t black… like at ALL. She’s literally the same ethnicity as Dua Lipa.”

“I NeVEr ThoUghT rITa OrA WaS bLacK. Okay good for you. Someone us were bamboozled. And you can see why..”

“No one failed Rita Ora. That woman knew people in the industry thought she was Black. She confessed to using that to her advantage. Rita Ora literally confessed to taking away the little opportunities that are given to Black women in the music industry.”

In response to a Twitic who claimed that “no one” thought the singer was Black, British TV writer Camilla Blackett said the songstress “was absolutely selling herself as black in the UK for YEARS.” And one person actually brought receipts!

No one failed Rita Ora. That woman knew people in the industry thought she was Black. She confessed to using that to her advantage. Rita Ora literally confessed to taking away the little opportunities that are given to Black women in the music industry.pic.twitter.com/acR7HWbTv2

— NO ❤️ (@notyournickgurr) August 11, 2020