Beyoncé Hit With Skin-Lightening Accusations, But Her Mom Isn’t Having It

Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles, is defending her daughter after online critics questioned if the artist had lightened her skin for the premiere of her film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. Knowles took to Instagram Tuesday to share a video edit of her daughter that began with a photo of her rocking platinum blonde hair and a silver Versace gown at the Nov. 25 film screening. 

Comments then appeared on top of the photo, claiming that Beyoncé’s skin looked lighter and asking “why she looks so white.” After a few moments, the image was replaced by images from throughout the artist’s career as her song “Brown Skin Girl played.” It was alongside this video edit that Knowles went in with a lengthy caption, calling out the “bozos” who thought her daughter was bleaching her skin. 

“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. “She does a film, called The 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,” Knowles continued. “Duh, she wore silver hair to match her silver dress as a fashion statement clown. ALIEN Superstar duh!” Knowles continued to express her disappointment for people who were acting “ignorant” pointing out that numerous “beautiful talented Black celebrities” since Etta James have sported platinum hair and wondering if the same critics accused them of “trying to be white.”

Knowles continued that she was tired of the double standard her daughter faces in the industry. “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,” she wrote. “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.” And while Beyoncé would be “pissed” at her for clapping back in this way, her mom is “fed up” with the treatment she receives. “This girl minds her own business,” she added. “She helps people whenever she can. She lifts up & promotes black women and underdogs at all times.”