racebending en · NOUN
Etymology
From race + bending, following the pattern of genderbending. Popularized, and likely influenced in form by, fan reaction to racebending in the casting of the 2010 film The Last Airbender (film).
Meanings
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(derogatory, often, slang, uncountable) The act of playing the role of, or casting someone in the role of, a character of different race or ethnicity.
Not only did the producers cast actors in their late twenties but also had the audacity to assign Michael B. Jordan (Fruitside Station, That Awkward Moment) to the role of the Human Torch/Johnny Storm. What has happened here is a wonderful example of racebending.
2014, Zhana Johnnson, "Bend It Like Jordan", The Xavierite (Saint Xavier University), Volume 83, Number 17, 26 February 2014, page 9Hilarity ensues as the director tries to justify his decision with famous racebending examples from Hollywood (The faux slit-eyes in Cloud Atlas, anyone?).
2013, Lee Jian Yun, "Asian Americans on the Rise: How YouTube Changed the Game", The Monash Gazette (Monash Ununiversity), Issue #2 2013, page 71As an example of racebending on a different level from that of fandom but which still utilizes a similar approach, in 2005, Denzel Washington portrayed Julius Caesar in a revival of Shakespeare's play.
2015, Kristen J. Warner, “ABC's Scandal and Black Women's Fandom”, in Elana Levine, editor, Cupcakes, Pinterest, and Ladyporn: Feminized Popular Culture in the Early Twenty-First Century, University of Illinois, →ISBN, page 39:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| race-bending | alternative | lexicographic |