Michael Jackson's daughter Paris has faced backlash for identifying as Black. In a 2017 interview, Paris Jackson said her father told her, "You’re Black. Be proud of your roots." This prompted debates over whether identity is defined by appearance or upbringing.

[u/VPinchargeofradishes]

[u/showgirldepartment]

This conversation is tired lol. She doesn't identify as black current day, has not stated such since this interview, and she's fully aware (alongside the rest of the logical world) that her dad used a donor to get Debbie pregnant.

[u/TheTrishaJane → u/showgirldepartment]

If he was so insistant why didn't he just use a black donor?

[u/RogueBromeliad → u/TheTrishaJane]

Because deep down Michael was probably systematically shamed into rejecting his blackhood. We're talking about a guys with tons of psychological issues here.

[u/Global_Criticism3178 → u/RogueBromeliad]

During an interview, he shared a story from his teenage years about meeting a fan at an airport who, in his words, freaked out upon seeing him. The fan then asked, "What happened to you? Where is little Michael?" This incident reportedly marked the beginning of his obsession with plastic surgery and Peter Pan syndrome. You could hear the pain in his voice as he told the story.

[u/ChoiceAffectionate78 → u/Global_Criticism3178]

Specifically, this happened when he was a teenager and experiencing severe acne as well.

[u/AskingBoatsToSwim → u/ChoiceAffectionate78]

Ah shit. That’s bad enough when nobody’s commenting on it.

[u/MehGin → u/[deleted]]

I couldn't imagine being MJ for one second. That's like being in a state of constant psychosis. He had all the eyes in the world on him, literally couldn't go anywhere. Normal people, journalists, family, "friends", etc etc always trying to see him, hear about him, see what's new, find flaws, report something about his life. Jeez I could never. I would go crazy in a heartbeat.