yellowface

[yel-oh-feys]

noun

1. facial makeup used by a white, non-Asian actor or entertainer when portraying an East Asian.

   In Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, the role of Cio-Cio San was performed in yellowface.

Word History and Origins

Origin of yellowface¹

First recorded in 1850–55; yellow (in the sense “Asian”) + face ( def. )

Example Sentences

Like June Hayward/Juniper Song in “Yellowface,” Alice and Peter are so trapped in the flimsy reality they’ve constructed that they can’t see the obvious way out.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As much as “Katabasis” has in common with Kuang’s earlier works, tonally it might have most in common with “Yellowface.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Already a mother when she meets Richard, as well as an actress with plenty of experience in Chinese films, Vivian in 1975 is a complex figure, struggling to break into an industry that was rarely writing roles for her, with whitewashing and yellowface still very much a reality.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Kuang’s 2023 novel “Yellowface” looks identical to the original, including the English title.

Read more on New York Times

Miss Shu Mai, a Taiwanese American drag queen who hosted the K-Pop Night, recalled seeing white actors in yellowface — makeup that made them look East Asian in L.A.’s drag scene.

Read more on Los Angeles Times