Amelia Hamlin Responds To Accusations Of ‘Blackfishing’

Amelia Hamlin responded to accusations that she was “blackfishing” in her Instagram post on Thursday.

The 19-year-old model posted a photo of herself posing in a braid, gold chain-link necklaces and large hoop earrings, and her skin appeared to be several shades darker than it looked in her other recent posts.

Hamlin, who is the daughter of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna, has turned off comments on the post following the backlash she received from her followers.

She responded to the comments in a post to her Instagram Story, “im receiving a lot of comments in regards to my latest photo. I am being told that I am ‘black fishing’ – thank you all for educating me on this topic.”

“Blackfishing” is a term used to refer to non-black people who change their appearance, with darker skin tones, fuller lips, and braided hair for example, to appear racially ambiguous. Several influencers have been accused of “blackfishing,” including the Kardashians.

“I recently went on vacation in the sun,” she said, “and with my Italian heritage I tan very easily.”

One post from Valentine’s Day shows the model posing in a bikini, but she does not appear to be as tanned as she is in Thursday’s controversial photo.

“There is no self tanner involved,” her statement continued. “Or intention of looking darker than my own natural skin color. I had a lot of fun creating this look with no malice intention or offense.”

The teenager has also been in the news recently for being romantically linked with Scott Disick, 41. Disick, who’s best known for his relationship with ex Kourtney Kardashian (with whom he shares three kids), has been seen publicly with Hamlin since Halloween 2020, but officially confirmed their relationship on Valentine’s Day.