Whiteface is a type of performance in which a person wears theatrical makeup in order to make themselves look like a white person, usually for comedic purposes. The term is a reversal of the more outdated form of a racist performance known as blackface, in which performers use makeup in order to make themselves look like a black person, usually to exaggerate negative racial stereotypes of black people. Whiteface performances originated in the 19th century but have no origin in dehumanization or racism, and today still occasionally appear in films. Modern usages of whiteface can be contrasted with blackface in contemporary art.