Beyoncé’s mom Tina Knowles has long been a protective force in her daughter’s life and this week, she once again stepped into that role to defend Beyoncé from a malicious rumor circulating online in the wake of the premiere event for Beyoncé’s Renaissance film.
After some fans observed that the star looked paler than normal in the photo of herself she posted from the premiere, Momma Tina clapped back, calling those critics self-hating “bozos” promoting a long-debunked, toxic narrative about her daughter.
Comments and gossip rags accused Beyoncé of lightening her skin with editing tools, with some going as far as speculating that she was bleaching it to look white. Knowles also noted that TMZ reached out to Beyoncé’s stylist for a comment about the responses to her premiere look, calling out the reporter’s “entitlement.”
For what it’s worth, Beyonce is a lighter-skinned Black woman at an event where many of the photographers likely had their cameras and lighting set up to capture a wide range of skin tones, including very dark ones which are frequently underlit in mass media. Combine that with Beyoncé’s wardrobe — a silver dress and complementary platinum blonde wig — and the way the photo turned out makes perfect sense.
Is nobody going to discuss how this woman has bleached herself raw? It’s disgusting. https://t.co/ACLWrou7bU
— la problema. (@bajanbadness_) November 26, 2023
This isn’t the first time Beyoncé has been the center of colorist/colorism comments online. A few years ago, her father Matthew Knowles told Ebony that at least some of Beyoncé’s success is due to colorism.
Beyoncé herself has made efforts to uplift Black women of all shades through songs like “Brown Skin Girl,” her previous film Black Is King, and the shout-out to her mom’s native Louisiana roots in “Formation,” among others.
You can read Tina Knowles’ full post below.
Came across this today and decided to post it after seeing all of the stupid ignorant self, hating racist statements about her, lightening her skin, and wearing platinum hair wanting to be white. She does a film called Renaissance, where the whole theme is silver with silver hair, a silver carpet, and suggested silver attire and you bozos decide that she’s trying to be a white woman and is bleaching her skin? .. How sad is it that some of her own people continue the stupid narrative with hate and jealousy. Duh, she wore silver hair to match her silver dress as a fashion statement clown. “ALIEN Superstar” duh! What’s really sad is that a white woman had the audacity to reach out to Neal, Beyoncé’s hairstylist, from TMZ to say that the fans are saying that she wants to be white and she wanted to get a statement about it from Neal. Well that made my blood boil, that this white woman felt so entitled to discuss her blackness.
What’s really most disappointing is some Black people — yes you bozos that’s on social media — lying and faking and acting like you’re so ignorant that you don’t understand that Black women have worn platinum hair since the Etta James days. I just went and looked at all the beautiful talented Black celebrities who have worn platinum hair and it has been just about every one of them at one time or another. Are they all trying to be white? I am sick and tired of people attacking her. Every time she does something that she works her ass off for, and is a statement of her work ethic, talent, and resilience, here you sad little haters come out the woodwork. Jealousy and racism, sexism, double standards — you perpetuate those things. Instead of celebrating a sister or just ignoring her if you don’t like her. I am sick of you losers. I know that she is going to be pissed at me for doing this, but I am fed up! This girl minds her own business. She helps people whenever she can. She lifts up & promotes Black women and underdogs at all times.