'RuPaul's Drag Race' Alum Raven Addresses Blackface & Blackfishing Allegations: 'I Will Not Stop Tanning'

Raven is hitting back at critics of her appearance.

The 45-year-old RuPaul’s Drag Race alum, who became RuPaul‘s Emmy award-winning makeup artist since Season 9 of the series, spoke out about the accusations on fellow Drag Race alum Monet X Change‘s Monet Talks.

During the appearance, Raven, who is white, addressed criticism she’s received over the years for her dark-skinned appearance with the use of tanning and makeup application. Some have called it blackface or blackfishing, especially in certain photos.

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“When that whole thing first started happening, I was like um…uh oh. And then I thought ‘ooh.’ I remember talking to a couple friends about it, and they were like ‘that’s not what you’re doing.’ I said ‘I know that.’ And they said ‘well, f-ck them, who cares?’ And I said ‘But I don’t want to offend anyone.’ And they were like ‘you’re not doing…that’s not what you’re doing.’ And I said ‘Okay,’” she explained.

“I understand what blackface is. I would never do that. Have I worn afros? Yes, I have. You would be hard pressed to find a bitch that has been doing drag for let’s say longer than 10 years from any ethnicity that has not worn an afro,” Raven said. “And you didn’t wear it because you wanted to be Black. You wore it because why? Oh, I’ve got volume! I’m doing disco! Yay, it’s fun!”

“I would never do blackface. However, this whole blackfishing thing is another. It’s a way for people to throw another thing, stoke the fire. It’s not that, it’s this. Well, blackfishing comes from catfishing, which means I’m trying to get you to believe that I am this. You know I’m not,” she said.

“And the thing is if I were going to be doing blackface or trying to blackfish, I would be doing this, I would go that color. I’m just going to give you a hint…I would go in,” Raven continued. “Like, I’m gonna try and offend people and get all this black-lash? No.”

“I will not stop tanning. A doctor could tell me you need to stop, and I’d be like are you sure about that? I need a second or third opinion. I like being tan, and I need to make sure my foundation matches. I only paint from here up, so the rest of it, I’m that color. It don’t wipe off, it doesn’t come off,” she went on to say.

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