For some reason, Snapchat decided it was a good idea to create a Bob Marley filter—one that makes the user look like a bizarre, warped version of the late singer, dreadlocks and all. All the typical things that might stop a massive social network from doing this—the fact that it looks like like automated blackface, the reductiveness of creating a Bob Marley filter on 4/20, the half-hearted attempts at incorporating Marley’s music, the fact that it literally slaps blackface and dreadlocks on everyone who tries it—apparently didn’t occur to Snapchat.
Instead, we got this.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/722778592569139200
Oh my god oh my god oh my god snapchat put a "Bob Marley" filter and it's… bad and in poor taste, to say the least pic.twitter.com/syAHGXp3f6
— Alp (@alplicable) April 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/embed/status/722778880000598016
Soooo @Snapchat capitalising on 4/20 with a blackface Bob Marley filter. Stay classy. 👎👎👎 #NotCool pic.twitter.com/HhmPQ6GJNi
— Asma (@asooma) April 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/embed/status/722766282597277696
It’s unclear whether or not the filter was created specifically for 4/20. Either way, the filter is in extremely poor taste. We’ve reached out to Snapchat for an explanation, and we’ll update if we hear back.
Update: A Snapchat spokesman emailed us the following statement:
“The lens we launched today was created in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, and gives people a new way to share their appreciation for Bob Marley and his music. Millions of Snapchatters have enjoyed Bob Marley’s music, and we respect his life and achievements.”
