RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 finalist Pearl recently shared a photo that nearly had her sashaying away for good — but she has since spoken out about the picture.
She shared an image that showed her as a character with darker skin than she actually has, and it didn’t take long for the claims of blackface to start pouring in.
“The character i posted this morning was not meant to resemble any other background other than my own. she’s platinum blonde/blue eyes & meant to have 2000’s britney-esque tan,” Pearl wrote Thursday on her Instagram Story.
“I certainly didn’t mean to hurt anyone and will refrain from using any kind of tan at all when creating characters in the future. i’ve removed the post as to not continue to offend people.”
The Story has since expired or been taken down, but she took to her Instagram posts to share a lengthier explanation surrounding the controversial image.
Although she revealed she’s “not trying to drag this out,” and revealed that blackface was never her intention.
Pearl speaks out after blackface accusations
In a lengthy Instagram share, Pearl explained her side of the story more in-depth.
She revealed that she didn’t intend to do blackface and “thought the concept of the character would be clear to anyone who saw it, which was ignorant on my part, for which i am sorry.”
She added that “every aspect of the character was inspired by caucasian people” and wasn’t meant to depict any person of color.
However, she did note that this experience has made her reflect on some of the characters that “aren’t aging well,” and she is planning to learn from this experience and “expand myself creatively.”
“If anyone would like me to clear anything else up, im happy to respond here. hopefully this can be a positive and safe space to learn and grow,” she concluded.
Pearl called out for unintentional blackface
Drag Race Season 10 competitor The Vixen took to Twitter to share their own thoughts on the matter.
“When people carelessly play with blackface and using slurs etc I think the public outrage overshadows the private hurt that we go through. These daily reminders that this world isn’t safe, welcoming or sensitive to our feelings is overwhelming.”
Silky reposted the photo, adding, “RuPaul should’ve just talked to her off camera cause now she mocking RuPaul in her younger years.”
Whether intentional or not, it certainly wasn’t a good look on Pearl’s end and has sparked controversy in the Drag Race community.
Whether or not everyone will accept her apology is hard to say, but hopefully, she can expand herself like she said she would and develop better creative concepts.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 is available to stream on Paramount+.