To celebrate America’s unofficial marijuana holiday, 4/20, Snapchat released a filter on Wednesday, April 20, that allows users to digitally alter their faces to look like the late, weed-smoking reggae legend Bob Marley.
The lens — which gives a Snapchatter Marley’s signature crocheted cap, dreadlocks and dark skin — has infuriated many social media users, who lashed out at the app, calling the latest update a form of blackface.
https://twitter.com/ALEXplain_L8R/status/722869902508331009
“@Snapchat I am very offended about the Bob Marley filter for 4/20. IT IS BLACK FACE!,” one tweeter complained, while another fumed: “.@Snapchat delete the Bob Marley filter NOW. It is blackface, it’s racist, and it’s disrespectful to reduce such an important artist to this.”
.@Snapchat delete the Bob Marley filter NOW. It is blackface, it’s racist, and it’s disrespectful to reduce such an important artist to this
— leon thotsky ? (@elusivealpaca) April 20, 2016
Rather than remove the filter, Snapchat issued a statement in response to the backlash, defending the company’s decision to create it.
“The lens we launched today was created in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, and gives people a new way to share their appreciation for Bob Marley and his music,” the company wrote of the singer, who died of cancer in May 1981. “Millions of Snapchatters have enjoyed Bob Marley’s music, and we respect his life and achievements.”
Kylie Jenner, who currently reigns as the most-viewed person on Snapchat, was one of many users who tried on Marley’s mug. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star shared a video of herself as the Jamaican-born icon, saying, “Yaaas, bitch, yaaas.”
Tell Us: What do you think about Snapchat’s new 4/20-inspired Bob Marley filter?
