Another day, another Love Island contestant controversy. This time, surrounding 2019’s runner up Molly-Mae Hague and a dubious choice of foundation shade. The debate comes after Hague uploaded an updated ‘Everyday Makeup Tutorial’ to her YouTube channel earlier this month in which she demonstrates applying a foundation visibly too dark for her pale complexion.
In the video she explains that her everyday foundation, Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk, is “too dark” so she ‘lightens’ it with her “holy grail” product, MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid in the shade NC42.
Whilst she mentions in the video, th NC42 shade is “still very dark”, she goes on to explain that she opts for the colour as she “goes very pale in the wintertime,” especially “[n]ow it’s obviously getting colder, it’s getting wintery [sic].”
“Which is fine,” she seems to add as an afterthought.
After joking about how “orange” her face is – and adding that “the whole world” will hate her for it – she goes on to apply a pale concealer far more becoming of her natural skin to tone down her face.
As is often the case with news surrounding Hague, the video soon went viral, with many criticising the reality star’s foundation choice as ‘blackfishing’ – a term coined for white women accused of mimicking black features or pretending to be black or mixed-race on social media.
“Molly Mae uses NC42. I, a brown woman use NC42 foundation,” one criticised.
“Is this satire? There's no way she actually believes it's a match... It's like 10 shades too dark [sic],” another tweeted.
“Wait, Molly Mae uses NC42... as in three shades up from NC45 that Mac give every black woman [sic],” another added.
The accusations come at a time when debate surrounding cultural appropriation is rife. Celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Kylie Jenner and Ariana Grande, and social media Influencers Emma Hallberg and Jaiden Gumbayanhave been accused being guilty of mimicking, exploiting or fetishizing black features.
Of course, it’s also not the first time that Hague herself has been accused of cultural insensitivity – and even racism. Whilst in the Love Island house, old tweets from the star revealed the use of the N-word when talking about President Barack Obama, her entire time on the show was plagued with accusations that the star tanned herself ‘darker’ than other contestants of colour, and in October she was accused of cultural appropriation after dressing up as Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra for Halloween.
Since the backlash, Hague has been spotted out with her sister, sporting a distinctly lighter face. Hopefully, it appears, she has learnt from the criticism. Let’s hope it’s the last time it’s needed.
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