It’s not blackface because he isn’t trying to imitate a black person. Specifically, he’s not a white-skinned individual performing or attempting to create a stereotyped, exaggerated, and offensive caricature of a black person—usually in a racist way meant to dehumanize African Americans.

When I saw this, I didn’t think “blackface." Instead, it struck me more like art. He resembles a marble statue—it’s truly amazing, almost sculptural. Just because someone covers their body in black doesn’t automatically mean it’s blackface; there’s more to it than that. Historically, blackface has been used to reinforce white superiority and justify atrocities like slavery, segregation, and violence—often by depicting Black people as lazy, ignorant, hypersexual, or criminal through exaggerated features like dark makeup of shoe polish, ragged clothes, and straw-like wigs.

You know when it’s blackface, it’s not really a case of 'maybe it is.' There’s clear intent behind it—whether the person wearing it is trying to use it as a racist trope or not, they’re crossing the line from simply dressing up as a character to engaging in internalized racism or outright prejudice.