Aboriginal Australian mother posts daughter's 'whiteface' photo to address racism

An Aboriginal Australian mother has shared a photo of her daughter painted white on Facebook after a schoolboy from Perth received criticism for taking part in an event with his face painted black. According to reports, the young boy dressed up in blackface to resemble his idol Australian Rules player Nic Naitanui, for an event.

While his gesture did not go down well with some people, Bec Bee from Far North Queensland came out in support of the boy and posted her daughter's photos painted white.

The mother-of-two said there were "double standards" in racial debates in Australia. "I didn't see blackface. I saw a young fella who was proud to emulate his idol. There was no intent of racism," Bee said.

Bee posted a photo on Facebook that shows her daughter dressed as a Dr Seuss character in a red wig and white face paint for the same school event three years ago. "Not once did anyone say anything when I painted my black daughter white 3 years ago. We need to stop the double standards, a hero is a hero!" she said on Facebook. She said she feared that the racial debate would affect the young boy's innocence.

"I showed my daughter the article about the young boy... She said 'I'm proud that he wants to be the same colour as me'. If this little boy and his mum had been mocking Indigenous culture then I can totally see how this is offensive," Bee mentioned.

However, the post was not enough to shut down some critics on social media. "Just because it doesn't offend you, doesn't mean it's not offensive," a Facebook user Aliera French posted.

Nic Naitanui also tweeted on the issue and said I don't "believe the mother had any intention to cause harm, just wanted her kid to simply be 'Nic Nat' however may reflect on this and choose an alternate method next time".