Imane “Pokimane” Anys is one of the most recognizable Twitch streamers on the popular streaming platform. But Pokimane recently surprised her fans by revealing her natural hair for the first time.
Usually streaming with sleek and straight hair, Pokimane showed off her natural curls in November. On TikTok, Pokimane admitted that her natural hair has
always been a big insecurity
for her. It was her first time streaming with curly hair and her first time doing her hair on her own without the help of a salon.
“The only other times [I wore my hair curly], I went to a hairstylist and asked them to help me. I need an adult!” the 25-year-old streamer laughed.
She added that she never thought curly hair was something she knew how to do or could pull off. Pokimane told her viewers that she always felt people would think she looked “weird” since they were so used to seeing her “one way.” But fans were quick to throw out compliments at the content creator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxMzmG2_XDI
What nationality is Pokimane?
Pokimane is Moroccan-Canadian. She was born in Morocco before her family moved to Canada when she was four. She learned French while living in North America.
Many people have assumed Pokimane is Asian, or at least partly Asian. Pokimane addressed her racial ambiguity in a stream, stating that she took a DNA test to see what her ancestry truly is.
“Time to see if I’m actually Asian or not,” Pokimane said at the time.
The restuls were interesting. Pokimane is 85% North African and Arabian, with the test predicting she was from Casablanca, Morocco. She is only 0.4% Western Asian, 1.1% Western Asian, while also being 10% European.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlMVZI-0-oU
Is Pokimane racist?
Pokimane’s mysterious race has led many to speculate not only about the streamer’s identity but if she is purposely appearing Asian for clout. Others have actually accused Pokimane of “blackfacing” for sporting curly hair, meaning she was culturally appropriating black people by copying their hairstyle.
One other top streamer, Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, clearly wasn’t having it when he heard the accusations.
“Why is Pokimane blackfacing? Are you f—— insane? That’s her natural hair, dude. What the f—? Guys, she is literally Moroccon…She is literally from Africa, bro,” HasanAbi ranted.
Pokimane has been wrongly accused of being racist in the past. YouTube drama host Keemstar posted a Twitch clip of Pokimane in 2019 that sounded like she could be using a harmful slur.
Pokimane replied immediately that she had said “this Anivia,” referring to a champion in League of Legends. She joked that Keemstar was outing himself as a “fake gamer” but also took the opportunity to make a serious point about starting drama for no reason.
“On the real. Stop baiting likes by spreading lies,” Pokimane tweeted.
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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