AI-generated videos depicting Black women as primates have gone viral, with one 'bigfoot baddie' character accumulating over a million views. The trend, originating from Google's Veo 3's vlogging feature, is repurposed to promote dehumanizing stereotypes associated with Black women. Nicol Turner Lee emphasizes the historic precedents for such representations, connecting them to exaggerated portrayals during slavery. The videos frequently showcase animal-woman hybrids using caricatured speech and attire, exacerbating the issue of racial dehumanization in online content creation, with one Instagram account rapidly gaining popularity.
The AI-generated 'bigfoot baddie,' with acrylic nails and a pink wig, speaks directly to her imaginary audience using an iPhone, stating, 'We might have to go on the run; I'm wanted for a false report on my baby daddy.'
With 'bigfoot baddies,' online creators are taking what was a fairly innocuous trend on social media and repurposing it to dehumanize Black women. Historically, this exploitation draws from stereotypes established during slavery, where exaggerated illustrations emphasized primal characteristics.
It's both disgusting and disturbing that these racial tropes and images are readily available to be designed and distributed on online platforms, highlighting the dehumanization of Black women through AI-generated content.
One of the most popular Instagram accounts posting these generated clips has five videos with over a million views, featuring caricatured animal-woman hybrids speaking with African American Vernacular English and engaging in stereotypes.
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