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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Many condemned Hough's costume and her blackface makeup.
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.
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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