What was labeled a “slavery-themed” pre-wedding photoshoot has horrified people on social media after a TikTok user shared a video showcasing the photos.
The TikTok user who shared the photos created a video that starts with the caption, “These are pre-wedding photos.” The TikTok user cdntheplayers also used the following hashtags, “#greenscreen #Slavery #Racism #White #WhitePeople #fyp #BlackTikTok #BLM. Black Lives Matter.” He has more than 380,000 TikTok followers.
The video shows an interracial couple – the woman appears white and the man Black – posing for photos in which the man role plays a slave and the woman role plays what appears to be a Southern belle look. They embrace in a field, then are seen embracing in front of a typical subdivision house. The man is now wearing a suit jacket and top hat.
The TikTok user who posted it makes shocked and horrified expressions throughout the video. He blocked out the social media handle of the couple, so it’s not clear who they are – or whether the photoshoot was real versus some kind of parody. Still, it got the Internet talking.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Caption Read, ‘He Was No Longer a Slave’
@cdntheplayers #greenscreen #Slavery #Racism #White #WhitePeople #fyp #BlackTikTok #BLM #BlackLivesMatter
A caption from the original post read, “1842. Days passed and everything changed, our love got stronger and stronger. He was no longer a slave. He was part of the family… Part 2 PRE-WEDDING session.”
Again, it’s not clear who the original posters were. Whether it’s real or satire? Unclear. As one person on Twitter mused, “I’m not RT’ing that slavery fantasy engagement photo shoot b/c I have questions about what’s real on social media these days. I don’t want to believe that’s real.”
People on social media made analogies to the movie, Get Out, a 2017 horror film about a Black man’s mistreatment by a white family.
People Expressed Horror on Social Media
Response was swift, and it ranged from shocked to disgusted to horrified.
Here are some of the comments that people posted under the TikTok video:
“The photographer agreed to this?”
“And he’s still gonna…m-marry her.”
“But…Like why? Who suggested the idea?”
“There is just…so much to unpack here.”
“I was already so confused/uncomfy and THEN I SAW THE SHACKLES.”
“Can we talk about the Instagram caption? Because excuse you, what the hell is that?”
I just saw a slavery themed wedding announcement/photoshoot. She was freeing him.
“I support interracial marriage and whatever but baby this isn’t it.”
“Bet they get married on a plantation too.”
“UNBLOCK THE NAME WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM.”
“Why did they think this was a good idea.”
“Well that took us 200 years back in history at the least!”
“Babe. This is the only way to get my half of the family to come to the wedding. After this it will be better. Pinky promise.”
A Twitter user wrote, “All of my African ancestors who crossed the Middle Passage just rolled over in their graves after seeing that slavery-themed wedding photoshoot.”
All of my African ancestors who crossed the Middle Passage just rolled over in their graves after seeing that slavery-themed wedding photoshoot.
Another Twitter user noted, “This Black man really let this slavery themed engagement photo shoot happen. i feel like throwing up.”
“Somewhere on the internet there’s evidence of a slavery fantasy engagement photo shoot. It’s 9:30am on the west coast and I’m already done with today,” wrote another.
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