Masha
A recent viral Twitter thread turned the racially loaded phrase “they all look alike to me” on its head—and aimed it directly at white people.
Most everyone is familiar with the “they all look alike to me” phenomenon, as it happens publicly and constantly. It was visible in mainstream culture when a Buffalo news station commemorated the death of Michael Clarke Duncan with a photo of Seal, when E! confused actresses Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, when People misidentified Crazy Rich Asians stars Ronny Chieng, Tan Kheng Hua and Michelle Yeoh.
Now, a Twitter thread launched by @akirangei is going viral for its side-by-side comparisons of famous white people who, honestly, all look alike to me (and everyone else. That’s the point.)
He kicked it off with photos of the very similar-looking actresses Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain, before moving on to other Hollywood big-hitters.
https://twitter.com/akirangei/status/1117778016632025088
— massi (@akirangei) April 15, 2019
— massi (@akirangei) April 15, 2019
— massi (@akirangei) April 15, 2019
— massi (@akirangei) April 15, 2019
— massi (@akirangei) April 15, 2019
— massi (@akirangei) April 15, 2019
— massi (@akirangei) April 15, 2019
Commenters began compiling their own side-by-side photos of similar-looking white celebrities:
— 🤠 (@farachetoidla) April 15, 2019
— Jialu “I’m gonna butcher this next name” Wang (@rejectedcomic) April 15, 2019
— Lisann 💕 (@Blunki_123) April 15, 2019
Patricia Arquette & Vera Farmiga pic.twitter.com/PfUXjjH61J
— Arya Snark (@Cinnamon_Stix) April 15, 2019
jamie bell tom holland pic.twitter.com/OHnbLIyXvX
— tilda (@omgdoubletees) April 15, 2019
— Kimberly (@rosesbloomforu) April 15, 2019
I love this game. pic.twitter.com/iUSohubb3k
— #DearNonNatives (@dearnonnatives) April 15, 2019
— amanda f. (@amandafrnnds) April 15, 2019
American Horror Story season 5 was so confusing. pic.twitter.com/F6qaslg0E9
— ѕυηƒℓσωєя gσ∂∂єѕѕ 🌻💛 (@SaraaKressenn) April 15, 2019
— Holls (@Hollysaysrawrr) April 15, 2019
— تيلر . (@shamaalln) April 15, 2019
— Queen Slime (@prophetsofr0ck) April 15, 2019
— Qualquer coisa meu nome é Simone (@abdominada) April 15, 2019
— Heather (@heathercyre) April 15, 2019
Sebastian and mark hamill pic.twitter.com/hv9AOjeqBi
— Benzel Bashington (@kidcudisraybans) April 15, 2019
— Ky ◟̽◞̽ (@_KylieJones_) April 15, 2019
Some had jokes:
— slutty sally (@thesexiestsadie) April 15, 2019
— 🍕Chris Craig🍕 (@SpookyTeaSpoon) April 15, 2019
— Alia (@aliatheartista) April 15, 2019
— grace (@grace_pdf) April 15, 2019
— jack (@thejackwc) April 15, 2019
— max (@maxafrass) April 16, 2019
— squidward tortellini (@rebeccastuartt) April 16, 2019
While others used the thread as evidence that the media’s lazy and frequent mislabeling of POC performers has a little more behind it than just they-all-look-alike-to-me-ism. It’s like Crazy Rich Asians actor Remy Hii noted in reference to People‘s SNAFU—when’s the last time mainstream media confused one of the Hemsworths for another? How about Dylan/Cole Sprouse? And those two are straight IDENTICAL TWINS.
To the journalists consistently at fault, I refuse to believe you’ve never mistaken a Bomer for a Cavill, an Adams for a Fisher, a Hemsworth for a Hemsworth and yet it happens ALL the time with PoC – *particularly* Asian performers and it’s always just an ‘honest mistake’
— Remy Hii (@RemyHii) January 28, 2019
Failure to recognize POC’s faces and constantly misattributing their names as though they are interchangeable serves to dehumanize and identity-erase these performers—and their culture.
Still, y’all didn’t have to do Oscar Isaac dirty like that. (Also, he’s Guatemalan so THERE.)
— corey desharnais (@coreydesharnais) April 15, 2019
h/t Twitter
