Tina Knowles is defending her daughter, Beyoncé, amid allegations that she whitened her skin.
The fashion designer addressed comments about her daughter’s appearance at the premiere of “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” with a post shared on her Instagram page.
On Nov. 25, Beyoncé appeared ahead of the screening of her film on a “chrome carpet” dressed in silver and with platinum blonde hair. Soon after photos from the event began to surface, users on social media began to accuse the singer of lightening her skin.
Knowles lambasted the accusations with her post shared on Instagram on Nov. 28, which included a lengthy caption that accused users and media of perpetuating racism, sexism and double standards.
“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,” Knowles wrote at the top of her post.
The post featured a video compilation of Beyoncé and started with a still photo of the singer’s silver appearance at the premiere of “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.” Quotes from users online then appear over the image, with some saying, “She’s white now?” and “She whitens her skin!”
In her post, the singer’s mother went on to recap how the theme of her daughter’s premiere was silver and that guests were encouraged to wear silver attire.
“And you bozos decide that she’s trying to be a white woman and is bleaching her skin?” Knowles’ post continued. “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...”
Knowles’ post continued with claims that a white woman from one media outlet reached out to Beyoncé’s hairstylist for a statement about how the singer “wants to be white.”
“Well that made, my blood boil, that this white woman felt so entitled to discuss her blackness,” she continued before expressing her disappointment in members of the Black community who she claimed had relayed such sentiments 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,” she wrote, referring to the Black singer who became famous in the 1950s.
“I just went and looked at all the beautiful talented black celebrities who have worn platinum hair and it has been just about everyone of them at one time or another,” Knowles’ post continued. “Are they all trying to be white?”
Knowles then expressed that she was “sick and tired of people attacking” her daughter.
“Every time she does something that she works her a-- off for and is a statement of her work ethic, talent and resilience,” she continued. “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 if you don’t like her.”
“I am sick of you losers,” she finished. “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.”
Color bias, known as “colorism,” is the concept that lighter-skinned minorities have more privileges than those with darker skin. In 2021, Latinos in a Pew Research Center poll said that their darker skin color impacted their daily lives and caused them to experience more discrimination than those who had lighter skin. A 2016 article published by the National Library of Medicine cited the practice of skin whitening as a “global concern” traceable to European colonization.
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