Julianne Hough's Blackface for Halloween Ignites Twitter Uproar

Julianne Hough took a Twitter beating over the weekend after she was photographed at a Halloween party in an arguably "racist" costume complete with blackface makeup.

Hough, the 25-year-old "Dancing With the Stars" pro turned singer and actress, smeared brown makeup on her face and dressed in a prison jumpsuit to portray Crazy Eyes from the Netflix original TV series "Orange Is the New Black" (the character is played by actress Uzo Aduba) at a party in Beverly Hills Friday night.

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Julianne Hough has apologized for her Orange Is The New Black costume. Do you think she should have? pic.twitter.com/zAwrzb2eYe

— CoreyRadio (@CoreyRadio) October 28, 2013

#RozandMocha - this is @juliannehough's halloween costume - to far? Offensive? pic.twitter.com/Ahk57oeI8r

— KiSS 92.5 (@KiSS925) October 28, 2013

Many condemned Hough's costume and her blackface makeup.

Melanin is not a costume. Blackface is wrong and racist. So don't do it, folks. (schedules the same tweet for the next several Octobers)

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) October 26, 2013

This is atrocious. Julianne Hough donned blackface for her Halloween costume... http://t.co/Dg1Vp0rWc8 pic.twitter.com/oCqXbMmUM0

— Ryan Chavis (@JamesRyanChavis) October 26, 2013

Julianne Hough wore blackface to a party. Nothing screams Halloween like good ole fashion racism.

— Justin Stangel (@Justin_Stangel) October 26, 2013

Julianne Hough is gonna need something stronger than Proactiv to clean up her blackface decision

— lawblob (@lawblob) October 26, 2013

it's still blackface even if you use bronzer. its still blackface even if you use MAC or Dior instead of charred cork. @juliannehough

— Brokey McPoverty (@brokeymcpoverty) October 26, 2013

Blackface originated in the mid-1800s when white performers would paint their skin black and act as stereotyped caricatures of black people in minstrel shows. It's considered racist today because it's seen as a culturally insensitive reminder of some of America's most racist times.

Hough responded to the criticism with an apology posted to her Twitter account Sunday.

"I am a huge fan of the show 'Orange Is the New Black' actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created," she tweeted. "It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize."

Others on Twitter defended the actress and her costume.

Seriously, anyone that is offended by Julianne Hough's costume needs to get a life. Seriously. People are ridiculous. Ignorant & ridiculous.

— Heather Justice (@MrsHeatherJ) October 28, 2013

The media is so racially sensitive. If @juliannehough wants to put on black face for Halloween she deserves to.

— Israel McCullough (@IsraelMC01) October 28, 2013

Ppl need to chill w/ the julianne hough stuff, it's not like she meant for it to come off negatively

— JC Ontiveros (@Jaseigh) October 28, 2013

I liked @juliannehough Crazy Eyes costume. People are too sensitive sometimes.

— Meghan Lane (@MeghanMilissa) October 28, 2013

Hough got her start as a professional ballroom dancer, but has segued to country music and film over the last five years. Her self-titled debut album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts in 2008, and she received praise for her role in the 2011 remake of "Footloose" and 2012's "Rock of Ages."

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