What initially started as a feminist issue has turned into a debate about blackface, after a female streamer painted herself black in protest of ongoing criticism of her short skirt.
Chinese streamer and esports commentator Zhazha wore a very short skirt while appearing on a broadcast for Naraka: Bladepoint. Her long, bare legs remained crossed on stage, making her look possibly uncomfortable with how revealing the attire was.
People started attacking the tournament organizer, accusing the platform of forcing Zhazha to wear a short skirt to appease male viewers. Meanwhile, the male commentators next to her were in very conservative outfits, the usual suits you see on various esports broadcasts.
However, Zhazha came out and defended the outfit, claiming she had actually chosen the skirt to feel more feminine. This didn’t stop the heckling, which now turned to attacks on Zhazha for wanting attention. I’ve always said, “You can’t win as a woman.” But this statement was about to become even more accurate after Zhazha returned to the broadcast the following day.
“I Was With Her ‘Till the Blackface”
Instead of wearing another cute skirt, Zhazha arrived on set in a black bodycon dress and full black body paint from head to toe. It’s safe to say it was a very jarring, shocking look, especially compared to her previous outfit.
I couldn’t find any quotes from Zhazha regarding the look, whether it was an act of rebellion to the ongoing criticism or a mental breakdown. I’m not sure. Some of her fans have said that Zhazha is known for doing stuff like this on stream, sometimes even dressing up as a cockroach and making other random outfit choices.
However, some people didn’t see it as a silly way to counter the hate. Some felt that Zhazha was using blackface. This is a term for when people deliberately imitate the appearance of black people with makeup, a practice that dates back to minstrel shows in the 20th century. With such a racist origin, the use of blackface now is seen as very offensive.
“I was with her ’till blackface,” said one esports fan. “C’mon bruh.”
This sparked an online argument, as most things do. Some felt that Zhazha had no intentions of mocking black people with her appearance, while some felt that using blackness as a way to be “shocking” and “weird” had concerning undertones. I would say it’s not really up to me to decide if it’s offensive or not, but esports fans seemed to feel her intention was more to mock the criticism by “covering up” as much as possible.
Said one fan: “Y’all wanted more coverage. She said ‘say less.’”
“This is the ultimate level of malicious compliance,” explained another. “Zhazha decided to ‘cover up’ for her next stream. She showed up entirely in black.”
Again, I am not the person to conclude if her use of black paint is offensive. And I’m also not really sure what she hoped to accomplish, since I couldn’t find any quotes from her. But I do know that all of this happening because she wore a short skirt is wild.
In the big 2026, we are still criticizing – and attacking – women for what they wear. The fact that she was getting so much hate for wearing a cute skirt is quite telling. Esports has continued to harbor a lot of sexism due to being a largely male-dominated space. I still believe she would have been harassed and hated on whether she wore a tiny skirt or a massive, frumpy pair of pants. That would get the incels quite upset, wondering why women are not performing for them. A topic we see a lot in video game spaces, unfortunately.
I say just let her dress how she wants. But maybe don’t brink the body paint next time.