yellowface

noun

yel·​low·​face ˈye-lō-ˌfās 

: makeup or clothing worn to mimic the appearance of a person of East Asian descent and especially to mock or ridicule such people

specifically : such makeup or clothing worn by a white performer playing the role of a person of East Asian descent

[Jeff] Chang notes that Asian American characters were mostly limited to the cartoonishly polite Charlie Chan or the cartoonishly evil Fu Man Chu, played by white actors in yellowface.

—Jennifer Szalai

… social media users accused her of being racist, dressing in yellowface, and mixing up Asian cultures …

—Carly Stern

Note: The wearing of yellowface is considered deeply offensive.

compare blackface, brownface

Examples of yellowface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Does that mean someone will have to play Mickey Rooney in yellowface? —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026

Playing runner-up to the likes of Jane Wyman, Ingrid Bergman, and Joan Fontaine can at least be justified, but losing in 1938 to Luise Rainer, who donned yellowface for her performance in The Good Earth, is particularly egregious in hindsight. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

yellow entry 1 + face entry 1, after blackface

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above