Media personality Pearl Thusi found herself at the top of the trends list after a video of her speaking about colourism surfaced on Twitter.
The video is a clip from the recent episode of “Behind the Story” in which Khanyi Mbau was a guest. In the episode, Pearl and Khanyi address many issues, including Khanyi bleaching her skin and colourism.
In the virtual episode, Pearl goes on to speak about Twitter’s ‘mob mentality’ and how she has had to deal with attacks from people on social media regarding colourism.
In August, Pearl got on the wrong side of many social media users when she posted a picture of herself and captioned it “Brown skin girl... skin just like pearl’s”, in reference to Beyoncé’s hit, “Brown Skin Girl” which many believe was made in celebration of dark skin black women.
In the clip, Pearl said that the problem was not with light-skinned people.
“Yes there are privileges but let’s also look around and see who is giving those privileges to them (light-skinned black people) and why those privileges exist in the first place.
“You can’t take those people because they are easy to abuse, and they are in your community and accessible and say they think they are better because they are light-skinned”, she said.
The “Queen Sono” star said that going back to the source was necessary.
“Let’s go back to the source of why we have an identity crisis and why we look different.
“We are supposed to be on the same side as a country, as a people and as a race. I am not the enemy, I can’t change how I look and if I did you’d still be mad”.
“Let me live my life, live yours, I have worked very hard for what I have and if my light skin is going to help me feed my kids and that’s what you want to believe, then you know what, believe it but I am really exhausted”, she said before crying.
Khanyi responded to Pearl saying she was sorry she felt that way and that she felt Pearl needed to heal.
Watch below:
The hate got to Pearl Thusi skin #BehindTheStoryBET pic.twitter.com/VCx7xAFPXQ
— Mandla Gingirikani (@mandlamZA) October 14, 2020
Tweeps weren’t impressed with her explanation and shared their thoughts about Pearl’s reaction to the criticism.
Fake crying on TV after arrogantly antagonizing dark skinned people for years? Mevrou Thusi has reach her final form. Ke legowa nou. https://t.co/pkMER27V1c
— YT: Neo URL (@Neo_url) October 15, 2020
Pearl Thusi simply refuses to be reflexive and engage with other people's reality without centering herself. If she's crying about being asked to be sensitive about colourism, what must dark skinned women who have a whole system against them do about her privileged tears?
— Nosipho Makhakhe (@NosiphoMakhakhe) October 15, 2020
I really thought Pearl Thusi was being interviewed but the fact that she was the one interviewing Khanyi Mbau makes it even worse. Khanyi Mbau has lightened her skin as a direct result of colourism and Pearl decided that would be the moment to play victim😬
— Ann Marie Lastrassi stan (@naledimashishi) October 15, 2020
As soon as Pearl realizes the conversation is about the industry that promotes colourism AND NOT HER SPECIFICALLY then she’ll maybe be more open to what people are actually saying. Colourism doesn’t stop working in your favour because you work hard or because you don’t want it.
— Lesego Tlhabi (@LesegoTlhabi) October 15, 2020
Pearl Thusi is a former beauty queen who transitioned into a successful model and then an acting/presenting career and wants us to sit here and pretend being a conventionally attractive light skinned black woman had nothing to do with the opportunities she got. https://t.co/XhWptzqCw6
— Sisa (@Titanbaddie) October 15, 2020
I know Pearl has a very clear understanding of colourism and light skinned privelege because the weaponising of tears is precisely the kind of thing a white woman would do.
— Tony Childs (@TemptingTony_) October 15, 2020