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TechThe Mobile Executive

Snapchat Removes Filter Mirroring an Asian Stereotype After Backlash

By
Daniel White
Daniel White
and
TIME
TIME
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By
Daniel White
Daniel White
and
TIME
TIME
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August 10, 2016, 4:26 PM ET
Photograph by Bloomberg via Getty Images

Snapchat removed a filter Wednesday after outraged users said online that it was racist.

The filter in question, which users said resembled “yellowface” and mirrored stereotypes of Asian faces, featured a filter with closed, slanted eyes. Snapchat told The Verge that the filter was inspired by anime and meant to be playful.

Many users took to Twitter (TWTR) on Tuesday to express their dismay.

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Yellowface was a practice in early Hollywood films where white performers used theatrical makeup to portray people of East Asian descent, much like performers used blackface to pose as black characters.

For more about Snapchat, watch:

This isn’t the first time Snapchat has been in trouble over a filter. A Bob Marley filter that posted on April 20 was taken by many to be offensive, with some calling the filter “digital blackface.”

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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