It's Halloween season, which — for the black community — unfortunately often seems less about pumpkin spice and more about side-eyeing racist costumes.
Cue Lili Reinhart (of Riverdale fame) whose attempt to portray the darkness of her soul fell all the way flat for some.
According to Teen Vogue, Reinhart posted a pic of herself in head-to-toe black paint with the caption, "Found my Halloween costume!! Inspired by the color of my soul."
Some of members of Black Twitter swiftly raised their collective brows and side-eyed the costume, feeling that it looked suspiciously like blackface. Others, however, felt that Reinhart was really just made up as a "demon," that she was joking about her dark soul and that there was nothing to get upset about.
I'm blk, and I'm more offended tht ppl think blk ppl look like THIS than Lili's comment, this is a pic of demon, NOT a blk person— Kes (@BronzedBeauT) October 22, 2017
im late as hell but anyway the picture WAS blackface but obviously lili had no intention for it to come off that way. she did nothing wrong— maddie loves vanessa (@NighthawkVixen) October 22, 2017
I don't understand why people were coming for Lili Reinhart for that Halloween costume. That was NOT blackface.— Keisha Hatchett (@Keishamaze) October 23, 2017
After witnessing the war of words, Reinhart took to Twitter to apologize, claiming she meant no harm, and that her tweet was "misinterpreted" as racist:
I did not mean for my tweet to come off that way. I can see how it was interpreted as being insensitive, completely. I saw the pic on a Halloween Instagram and didn't think it would be interpreted as being racially insensitive.— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) October 22, 2017
I apologize. Never meant any harm. I can see how it could've been misinterpreted.— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) October 22, 2017
Blavity fam! What say you?
