Celebrity

Halsey Gets Real About Passing As White In Her New "Playboy" Interview

"I look like a white girl, but I don’t feel like one. I’m a black woman."

Posted on
Morgan Murrell
Morgan Murrell
BuzzFeed Staff

Halsey is on the cover of Playboy's latest Music Issue and she's holding nothing back!

During the in-depth interview, the 22-year-old New Jersey native gets real about growing up biracial and "passing" for white.

"I’m white-passing. I’ve accepted that about myself and have never tried to control anything about black culture that’s not mine."

"I’m proud to be in a biracial family, I’m proud of who I am, and I’m proud of my hair."

"One of my big jokes a long time ago was, I look white, but I still have white boys in my life asking me why my nipples are brown."

"Every now and then I experience these racial blips. I look like a white girl, but I don’t feel like one. I’m a black woman."

"So it’s been weird navigating that. When I was growing up I didn’t know if I was supposed to love TLC or Britney."

And the "Now or Never" singer remembered people switching their demeanor because her father is black.

"I’m half black. My dad managed a car dealership, wore a suit to work, had a nice watch, was always clean-shaven, handsome, played golf on the weekends."

Lastly, Halsey gave her insight on white privilege and the concept of white guilt.

"White guilt is funny, but this is a really hard time for white allies. People don’t want to do too much but want to do enough."

"In my bubble of Los Angeles I’m surrounded by a lot of good people with a lot of good intentions. But as I learned in this past election, my bubble is just a small fraction of how this country operates."

"That is ultimately my greatest frustration with the public perception of any sort of activism: the mentality of Well, it’s not affecting me. Open your fucking eyes."

To read Halsey's full interview with Playboy, click here. Or grab her issue when it hits newsstands on August 26.

back to top