Former Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough inadvertently and ignorantly caused a controversy, when she dressed in blackface to portray one of her favorite TV characters for Halloween. Hough dawned the ultra-offensive theater makeup as a not-so-well-thought out tribute to 'Orange is the New Black' actress Uzo Aduba and her character Crazy Eyes. Now, one of the stars of the Netflix original series, Laverne Cox, is speaking out about the issue.
Hough was quick to apologize after the controversy ignited, tweeting:
"I am a huge fan of the show Orange is the New Black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created. It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize."
Now, one of the Orange is the New Black stars is responding to the controversy. African American actress and transgender rights activist Laverne Cox recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the controversy, saying:
“I think it’s great she likes our show, Crazy Eyes is my favorite character besides mine too. But it’s really interesting that she doesn't seem to understand. It’s historically tricky in this country to re-create blackface. I’m not opposed to someone having their form of expression, but she seemed to be completely unaware of the historical implications going in, and I think that’s problematic. If you want to make a choice like that, I think it’s important to understand the historical context you are walking into.”
Cox isn't the only one boggled by Hough's ignorance of the issue. Talk show host Wendy Williams brought up the subject on her show, saying:
"You have to figure this: This was, like, an intentional move. This was not something that happened all of a sudden and she was like, ‘Oh, is this racist?' You put thought into your Halloween costume...You don't just show up in blackface. Which means she's not just less than smart off the cuff--she's less than smart even when she thinks about it."
She later added that Hough's sheltered Mormon upbringing was not an excuse:
"She grew up Mormon. She only thought that there was one kind of alcohol until I guess she arrived to Hollyweird and discovered you can drink something different every minute of the day. Does she get a pass if she grew up out there? Because I'm thinking there's books and there's internet and TV…the world is your oyster."
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
