Paris Jackson, the eldest daughter of the legendary Michael Jackson, often finds herself in the spotlight. Recently, she has made headlines due to a debate about her racial identity. Despite her light complexion, Paris identifies as a Black woman.

Born in 1998 to Debbie Rowe and Michael Jackson, Paris has followed in her father’s footsteps and carved out a career in the music industry.

Paris is known for her fair skin, a trait she shares with her father, whose skin also became lighter over time. Michael Jackson’s change in skin color was widely believed to be due to vitiligo, a condition that causes the skin to lose its pigment, though it was never definitively confirmed.

In a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Paris opened up about her father’s teachings. “[Michael] would look me in the eyes and he’d point his finger at me and he’d be like, ‘You’re Black. Be proud of your roots.’ And I’d be like, ‘OK, he’s my dad, why would he lie to me?’ So I just believe what he told me. ‘Cause, to my knowledge, he’s never lied to me,” she shared.

Paris also mentioned that people often tell her she looks Finnish, which causes her stress. Many mixed-race individuals share her complexion, but they do not always face the same scrutiny she does.

Despite her self-identification as a Black woman, Paris has faced criticism. Talk show host Wendy Williams commented, “I get that she considers herself Black and everything, but I’m just talking about the visual because you know… black is not what you call yourself, it’s what the cops see you when they got steel to your neck on the turnpike. It’s what they see. But that’s cute and good for her.”

Paris’s experience highlights the complexities of racial identity and the challenges of being judged by appearance rather than heritage.

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