Two men from Victoria who donned blackfaces to attend a costume party over the weekend have inadvertantly caused wide-spread outrage on social media as an image of them mimicking traditional Aboriginal people went viral.
Photos from the ‘Aussie Icon’ themed party have been shared hundreds of time online as Indigenous and non-Indigenous social media sites collectively sought to highlight the currency of racism in Australia.
The men are shown in the image to have their bodies entirely painted black with coloured drawings while wearing red loin cloths and headbands.
In a separate incident, an Australian Open tennis supporter sported black face paint on Sunday at the women's final match held in Melbourne over the weekend.
The fan’s decision to dress as American tennis player Serena Williams has sparked debates about racism and the need for dress code regulations at sporting events.
The separate incidents have provoked fury within the public domain, with many people taking to social media to brand the two costume attempts as racist, insensitive and disrespectful.
Image: Out of respect for our culture and to ensure that NIRS News does not encourage or propagate the sharing of these two images with the possibility to cause offence, these photos will not be shared on this site.
