History Main / BlackLikeMe

* Similar the the SarahSilverman example above, in an episode of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Jenna and Tracy get into an argument whether its harder to be black, or be a woman. Tracy's make-up is [[WhiteChicks unconvincing]]
* In a ''SaturdayNightLive'' sketch, EddieMurphy [[MasterOfDisguise disguised himself]] as a white man (Mr. White). He discovered that white people give each other things. First the newstand worker encouraged him to just take a newspaper without paying, once a black customer left. When he went to a bank to ask for a loan with no collateral or credit, the black bank worker was ready to refuse him until a white worker excused him and instead offered Mr. White as much money as he liked "Pay it back whenever you want. Or don't. We don't care." And when he rode on a bus, as soon as the only black person on board left the driver pulled out secret wine bottles and all the passengers began partying.

* A ''{{Punisher}}'' storyline saw the title character Frank Castle turn black after experimental plastic surgery and subsequently hanging out with MarvelUniverse black hero ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}}.

Allows white people to experience racism from the point of view of a black person while giving white audiences a LeadYouCanRelateTo. Critics say that this leads to the UnfortunateImplication that white people can only care about prejudice if the victim is white.

* Happens several times on ''QuantumLeap'', when Sam [[BodySurf leaps into]] a black person or a woman. It's worse because he's also travelling in time. The first time he leaped into a black man he ended up in the South in 1955, where he innocently sat down at a bar, [[OhCrap only realising]] the reason for the StunnedSilence from the white patrons when [[GlamourFailure he looked into]] [[TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf a mirror]].

* The 1964 film ''Black Like Me'', the film version of Griffin's memoir starring James Whitmore as a character renamed John Finley Horton.
* In the comedy ''Soul Man'', a Caucasian student poses as an African American (by, among other things, taking self-tanning pills), in order to attend Harvard on a minority scholarship.

* A 1970s film, ''Old Dracula'' involved Dracula reviving his bride and her spontaneously becoming black due to the method of revival (something about gathering the essence of several supermodels, one of whom was black). She seems to like it, though. "Black is beautiful!"
* The 1947 film ''[[Film/GentlemansAgreement Gentleman's Agreement]]'' involves a Christian journalist going undercover and pretending to be Jewish. An interesting example in that he did not disguise himself or change his behavior in any way whatsoever -- all he did was claim to be Jewish -- and people treated him very differently.
* In ''SilverStreak'' Gene Wilder disguises himself as black (complete with shoe polish complexion) to escape police detection. But his performance is so over the top that Richard Pryor tells him that they'll be able to fool the police but "I hope we don't see no Muslims."

* The teen comedy ''OneHundredGirls'' has a male main character disguising himself as a girl to gain access to the girl's dormitory and learning a lesson about the female perspective.

* A ''{{Punisher}}'' storyline saw the title character Frank Castle turn black after experimental plastic surgery and subsequently hanging out with MarvelUniverse black hero LukeCage.

* Rachel Dolezal became a leader of the Spokane NAACP and professor of Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University, presenting herself as biracial, before she was exposed as a white, blonde woman with skillfully applied makeup and hair. When asked by a reporter whether she identified herself as African American, she claimed not to understand the question.

* LoisLane, {{Superman}}'s girlfriend, notoriously changed race temporarily in a story entitled "I Am Curious (Black)". (The title references the film ''I Am Curious (Yellow)'').

* Rachel Dolezal became a leader of the Spokane NAACP and professor of Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University, presenting herself as biracial, before she was exposed as a white, blonde woman with skillfully applied makeup and hair. When asked by a reporter whether she identified herself as African American, she claimed not to understand the question.

* It's a well-known fact that {{Superman}}'s pal JimmyOlsen makes a disturbingly attractive woman when he dresses in drag to go undercover. When he does it in the SilverAge, though, don't be surprised if the [[AnAesop Aesops]] he learns are more along the lines of "it can be exhausting getting hit on constantly" than "the glass ceiling is unfair."

* The Creator/WoodyAllen film ''{{Zelig}}''. In addition to being able to blend in with [[TheZelig famous celebrities]], due to a pathological need to fit in, the title character is able to "change his race". Being Jewish, TheKlan pronounces him "a triple threat".

* Accidentally meta-invoked in the third RP of ''DarwinsSoldiers'', when author Mirumoto_Kenjiro mentioned a black woman exiting a car and calling herself Dr. Joe (one of his characters). Everybody else's characters reacted skeptically, since everyone had always assumed Dr. Joe was white. Kenjiro later admitted that he'd never mentioned beforehand that Dr. Joe was black.

* Used by Trish in ''[[DevilMayCry Devil May Cry 4]]'', where she infiltrates the Order of the Sword by posing as the AmbiguouslyBrown demon hunter Gloria. It's unclear as to whether Gloria was a completely fabricated identity, or an actual Order member [[MuggedForDisguise whom Trish replaced]].

* To '''avoid''' the prejudice she'd face as a white girl raising a black baby, [[spoiler:Grandma Cleaver]] has apparently been doing this for years in ''Cleaver Family Reunion''.

* ''SoreThumbs'' had Fairbanks invoking this trope by first disguising himself as a black man and then going with Cecilia to a [[TheKlan Klan]] rally where he ended up getting killed. [[spoiler: It wasn't really Fairbanks but another black man who just happened to look just like him and Fairbanks ended up with EasyAmnesia and taking the guy's place.]]

Contrast with WhiteLikeMe. Contrast ColorMeBlack where the transformation is forced on someone to punish them or teach them a lesson.

* A character in ''TalesOfTheCity'' (both literary and television versions) took "tanning pills" to appear black in order to further her modeling career. White, she was merely pretty; black, she was an exotic new face. Either way she was in the closet about both her race and her gender preference.

* SachaBaronCohen's entire career.

* Happens several times on ''QuantumLeap'', when Sam [[BodySurf leaps into]] a black person or a woman. It's worse because he's also [[TimeTravel traveling in time]]--the first time he leaped into a black man, he found himself in the South, in 1955.

* A ''{{Punisher}}'' storyline saw the title character Frank Castle turn black after experimental plastic surgery and subsequently hanging out with MarvelUniverse black hero Luke Cage.
* The entire concept behind the Black Bomber, a white racist with the power to transform into a black superhero. The idea was rejected for being too offensive but was eventually recycled in {{Dwayne McDuffie}}'s [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] run in the form of Black Power, a balding, overweight white guy who could transform into a tall, muscular, black superhero. A similar character called the "Brown Bomber" was shown as part of an alternate reality JLA in volume three, issue fifty.

* The entire premise of Melvin Van Peebles' ''Film/WatermelonMan'' when Jeffrey Gerber, casual racist, wakes up black. Partially subverted when [[spoiler:the guy stays black at the end]].

* The 2004 Australian film ''Film/StrangeBedfellows'' has two working class men from a small country town claim to be gay in order to recieve a tax benefit available to couples. However, word leaks out and most of the town ends thinking they are actually gay. And then a government inspector arrives to verify the relationship is legitimate. And the daughter of one of the men arrives in town with her girlfriend.

* In one episode of the controversial ''LoveThy Neighbor'' series racist Eddie Booth wore an afro wig and black face to prove there was no racism only to be kicked out of a bar while his black friend Bill was allowed to stay.

* In one episode of the controversial ''{{Love thy Neighbor}}'' series racist Eddie Booth wore an afro wig and black face to prove there was no racism only to be kicked out of a bar while his black friend Bill was allowed to stay.

* Subverted in the satirical British mock-news show ''BrassEye'', in which a white reporter 'blacks up' for a story and ends up indulging in stereotypically criminal behaviour, including muggings and destruction of property. The presenter uses this footage as proof of 'inherent' criminal tendencies within minorities to force a representative of Britain's minorities to apologise on behalf of everyone with his skin color.

* The ComicBook/{{Batman}} villain White Rabbit toys with this. In her civilian identity, she is a dark-skinned Indian woman with black hair and green eyes. Her White Rabbit form has a more Caucasian skin tone, white hair, and violet eyes.