Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles, is sticking up for her daughter. In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, Knowles said that she has absolutely had it with “sad little haters” accusing Beyoncé of wanting to be white in the wake of the Renaissance movie premiere. The singer wore a silver gown with long, Targaryen-esque blonde hair on the silver carpet — all very much in keeping with the theme of the tour. Nonetheless, critics flooded social media with theories about her bleaching her skin, and Miss Tina simply doesn’t have time for that.
“I am sick and tired of people attacking her,” Knowles wrote of her daughter in a lengthy Instagram statement. “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 if you don’t like her.”
In photos from the event, Beyoncé’s skin did look fair, but that doesn’t mean she lightened it: It’s normal for Black skin tones to get lighter in winter and darker in summer, while brightening of the image itself and/or its lighting could also help explain the look. Still, across social media and in some tabloids, many ran with the bleaching theory, claiming that Beyoncé “looks white” or “wants to be white.” Others questioned her Blackness entirely, going so far as to accuse her of hating her Black skin.
Unfortunately, Beyoncé has been on the receiving end of this kind of criticism before, and it doesn’t sit well with her mom. In her post, Knowles said she was prompted to post after a white TMZ reporter called Beyoncé’s hairstylist asking for a comment about the current wave of speculation. “Well that made, my blood boil, that this white woman felt so entitled to discuss her blackness,” Knowles wrote. She added she was particularly saddened that “some of her own people continue the stupid narrative with hate and jealousy” and called the haters “stupid,” “ignorant,” and “self-hating.” She also noted that Beyoncé will likely be upset with her for reacting, but she simply had to post because she was fed up: “I am sick of you losers.” And based on the comments on Knowles’s post, so is the Beyhive.
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