Kanye West is up to something, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his latest endeavor is being met with a mixed bag of support and criticism.
Taking to Twitter this evening, the rapper-turned-designer posted a casting call for tomorrow (September 4) in New York City, looking for models for his upcoming fourth Yeezy season. However, he is calling for “multiracial women only” and naturally, Black Twitter is in a frenzy.
In addition to the date and time, taking place tomorrow at Jack Studios in NYC, ‘Ye also included the instructions for hopeful models to wear “no makeup” and “please come as you are.”
The label “multiracial” has been heavily criticized from the second his tweet went live, submitted without additional comment, of course, with people expressing their outrage due to the ambiguous nature of the word in our culture.
Some are interpreting that West is looking for light-skinned women and therefore unfairly will be excluding those with darker skin, while others are arguing the classification of “multiracial” applies to every person of color, regardless of the shade of their skin.
The call is all too familiar of his work with his former collaborator, Vanessa Beecroft, who offered a plethora of racist comments during an interview in New York Magazine, with her commentary ranging from her admitted obsession with Blackness and Africa to referring to West as her “magical Negro” to bizarrely claiming to not be familiar with who Beyoncé is.
Under Beecroft’s direction, the two were looking for “poor and intelligent” people, with the designer saying “please don’t cast anyone who looks stupid. Or fancy. Please. Classical, poor, and elegant,” and thus angering people for obvious reasons.
While West has not yet spoken in depth on his call for “multiracial” models and what that means to him and his vision, Black Twitter is weighing in heavily on the matter. Check out some of the ranging reactions in the tweets below.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) September 3, 2016
We all know some ppl (specifically MEN) associate multiracial women with being light skinned & "exotic" looking.. pic.twitter.com/NyshrNO0K2
— Chihiro Ogino (@WickedBeaute) September 3, 2016
Multiracial = ethnically ambiguous = Amber Rose-ish = Kardashian-y = mixed = no Black women allowed.
— Alejandro NIGlesias (@AlejandroDaGr8) September 3, 2016
'What's your race?'
— Yandy 🇹🇹✨ (@KandyYAMMSZ) September 3, 2016
Black. So multiracial.
I'm IN THEREEEEEE
"yes, i am here for the kanye west casting call, the one asking for multiracial women" pic.twitter.com/oA0DY7h6bI
— chicken thot pie (@such_A_frknlady) September 3, 2016
Me: I'm here for the audition.
— TC Ivy (@BienSur_JeTaime) September 3, 2016
Ye: Miss, you're clearly not multiracial...
Me: That's not what AncestryDNA said. pic.twitter.com/GepZ1b8XcE
Growing up so many black girl who weren't light skin claimed themselves as " multiracial" or " mixed" because those girls were " desired"
— Cornbread Katie (@KatHeartwell) September 3, 2016
Y'all mad at me for being light skin and multiracial and taking advantage of an opportunity. Why y'all mad? I thought we was black sisters?
— hoodrich mami (@witchycleo) September 3, 2016
"multiracial women only" his mentions are about to be so lit https://t.co/cSPdF3y5ys
— Dawn (@DawnAwonaike) September 3, 2016
Isn't this the same Kanye who said the "desirable girls" were "mutts" or some such? You know what "multiracial" means. Stop.
— Y'assssssss Al Ghul (@beauty_jackson) September 3, 2016
I mean, if you think about it...we're ALL multiracial...right? pic.twitter.com/MRnKMkV4P2
— juicy coochie (@taytheasthmatic) September 3, 2016
I'm going undercover as a multiracial woman for the Yeezy casting. pic.twitter.com/iLUctrfrA8
— Ivie Okechukwu-Ani (@ivieani) September 3, 2016
A person with a multiracial family wants to present multiracial beauty & yall up in arms. But he's the problem? Lol seek help
— Nani (@KeNaiyaa) September 3, 2016
Kanye when he tells a dark girl "sorry, multiracial only" and she says "but I'm Pakistani and Jamaican" pic.twitter.com/UYowqTKD7R
— Tissonade Lemontiss (@NaturallyTiss) September 3, 2016
If you want lightskin girls you coulda just said that. You gone be shook when darkskin multiracial women show up. https://t.co/6AzniDI0Ec
— nãni 🌹 (@pettyblackgirI) September 3, 2016
"Multiracial women only"
— 🇨🇼🇯🇲 (@aroueno) September 3, 2016
Lol let's see the Kanye fans explain away this one pic.twitter.com/7z4Ubfm5rY
(Photo: Randy Brooke/Getty Images for Kanye West Yeezy)
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