Rita Ora accused of 'blackfishing' by netizens as they find out about her Albanian roots

Rita Ora has been recently accused of “blackfishing” as a fan discovered that she is not black. The artist has been open about her Albanian heritage. However, a tweet made earlier this week has sparked the debate on her ethnicity with netizens divided on Twitter.

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Rita Ora accused of “blackfishing” by netizens

The accusation began when a Twitter user shared a number of Rita's pictures. She is seen posing with her father and mother in the pictures. In another photo, she has braided her hair and an afro style. The user mentioned that it was “trippy” for her to find out that Ora’s parents are “white” Albanians. It stated that she has been “blackfishing” with everyone. It was followed by another tweet accusing Rita Ora. Check out the tweets that reportedly lighted the debate.

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The tweet went viral in no time. It has currently crossed 22k retweets and comments, with more than 110k likes. Many fans replied to the tweet that they did not know Rita Ora was actually not black. They accused her of “cultural appropriation” and “blackfishing,” terms used to describe people who change their make-up and hair colour to look black online.

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As many lashed out on Rita Ora, others came in for her support. Users who came in for her defence said that she has often spoken about her Albanian roots, and how her family fled war-torn Kosovo when she was a kid, seeking refuge in the United Kingdom. They pointed out that the pictures posted were around five years old and Ora no longer styles her hair in that way. A user tweeted that she has always been an “Albanian girl with a tan” and has been proud of it. Several users also criticized people who accused Rita Ora without gathering the whole information about her. Take a look at tweets in support of Rita Ora.

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Rita Ora was reportedly born in Kosovo, to Albanian parents. Her family left the place due to political reasons and moved to London in 1991 when she was a baby. In 2016, Rita Ora appeared on The Wendy Williams’ Show and admitted that she often gets confused for mixed race. The host questioned that she thought the singer was “half-black and half-white,” or something like that. Ora replied that everybody usually does that. She added, “I might as well be. But no, I’m Albanian,” the artist noted. Rita Ora was even named an honorary ambassador of Kosovo at the London embassy in 2015.