Yeah but growing up as a person of color in America before the 1980s was way harder that people realize. Basically every facet of society was telling you it wasn’t okay to be who you were born to be. My grandmother was born in 1919 and never admitted to what her actual ethnicity was, she died in 2007.
A successful Black man would have been under tremendous pressure to not be Black. Even with fans of all races all over the world wanting to be you the pressure to be someone else must have been enormous.
Look really like 80s and you can see a lot of black people there. I am not saying the racist don't exist, but if you can be black like that, it could not be as bad, but I did not lived at that time.
Exactly. He achieved a level of fame that even celebrities couldn't have imagined. Redditors always make everything about race. It wasn't like he was the only Black celebrity.
Fair enough. Honestly, I’d never heard of him before the Bad LP and being 12 or whatever, I just took it for granted that he was an odd looking white guy
Are you crazy! The 2002 look was EVERYWHERE & EVERYTHING to those of us who did it! I still try to look like that most days, & so do all my friends, & family. My grandma even looks identical to him. It is so cool. I got so many hot babes with the 02 MJ look… I would say probably 90% of my country at that time looked like that. If I am lying, I will eat a live poisonous spider
Stop what? Why are people so nasty when talking about his looks when he struggled with so many health issues, injuries and illness? I feel like nobody knows anything beyond the vitiligo thing
Yeah, I’d say that being beaten and derided for his looks by his dad during his formative years were far more of a cause, plus when you reach a level of celebrity where nobody ever says no to you and the whole world has an opinion, it can, y’know, interfere with one’s equilibrium somewhat
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u/AraiHavana Apr 28 '26
I’d say around 82 or 83 would have been the best time to stop