Dallas Cowboys cheerleader celebrates Halloween in blackface
When you’re a cheerleader for a prominent sports team, you have to be careful about posting your blackface photos on Facebook, because, well, someone might just use them as an “anonymous tip”:
The cheerleader in question, according to the Facebook screenshots, appears to be 21-year-old Whitney Isleib, who I assume is dressing up for Halloween as Lil Wayne…An anonymous tipster made us aware of these photos on her Facebook page.
Of course, the easiest way to avoid this kind of situation is not to dress up in blackface at all. But she probably has little to worry about: she’s from Texas and the Cowboys have won their last three games.
Think about it: she makes a living cheering for a team of predominantly Black athletes and when she has time off, she thinks blackface is funny.
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Pretty astonishing. The endless fascination with the other, I guess, mixed with the need to feel superior.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. This is my 4th blackface post in like 2 weeks. I can’t figure out why it’s all surfacing right now.
In response to another comment. See in context »She didn’t dress up in blackface. She dressed up as Lil Wayne, who is black.
This is blackface: http://www.i10media.com/news/articles/blackface.jpg
If you’re going to be intellectually dishonest and not differentiate the two, then people should treat you as though you have no credibility.
Gee thanks. Nobody knew Li’l Wayne was Black until you informed us. Actually, you don’t get to define blackface. The picture you showed is just one form of it. Her Halloween “costume” is another.
Intellectually dishonest? That’s a pretty big leap. Perhaps I just see things differently than you do. That does happen, you know.
In response to another comment. See in context »Actually, blackface is defined. It doesn’t need to be defined any further. The picture I posted is the definition. How do you suggest she dress up as Lil Wayne without painting her face? If Lil Wayne dressed up as her, don’t you think he would paint his face, too?
Do you realize how many people have done this for movies, plays, and TV shows? Is there something about the venue that makes it inappropriate? Or because you dislike cheerleaders? Or maybe you just needed material for your racially-themed blog, and you knew it wasn’t blackface but you went with it anyway, just for the attention. I know how this blogging stuff works. You got the attention, but you weren’t looking for the kind of attention I’m giving you. You were looking for the kind of attention that first commenter gave you.
Intellectual honesty is paramount, Jessica.
In response to another comment. See in context »The short answer is that I see it as blackface. You don’t. I’m happy to agree to disagree. Last week I criticized Tyra Banks for having models wear makeup that “portrayed them” as different ethnicities. Same standard, same criticism.
And your mention of intellectual honesty is nothing short of hilarious, considering your argument.
In response to another comment. See in context »I guess I’m just wondering what the core of your (and others’) criticism is. Why is it offensive? Blackface was used as an anonymous representation/caricature of an offensive archetype. This is devoid of those qualities completely. It’s not an anonymous caricature. It’s a person pretending to be another real person; a person she obviously idolizes. If race relations are going to be at all functional, we have to not be reactionary and quick-to-crucify.
Maybe the reality is that people in Texas might be a little more enlightened than you (want to acknowledge). No offense. But you seemed to be stereotyping our culture here.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Patrick, avn. avn said: Jessica Faye Carter – Hyphenated – Dallas Cowboys cheerleader … http://bit.ly/4cny4L [...]
She was a Halloween Party with several other DCC teammates, a couple of whom are black.
Apparently they had no problems with the costume in question, because they appear in several pictures together.
She’s dressed as Li’l Wayne. This is not blackface.
Billy Crystal dressed as Sammy Davis, Jr. on “SNL” and that was him playing a character. He wore paint on his skin to get the look of Mr. Davis.
Yes, Al Jolson wore blackface in “The Jazz Singer” when he did his “Mammy” routine. That was in 1927. And even Robert Downey, Jr. played a Black man in “Tropic Thunder.”
This was a Halloween party, and she’s only 21. No biggie.