by
Portia
A Gambian woman who has been reposted several times on Instagram for her stunning dark skin, has been accused by a Brazilian follower of being a white woman. The accuser created a meme of the model alleging that she sprays her skin a dark brown color in order to appear black. The woman pointed out the model’s hands and palms which appear lighter than her brown skin. Here is the translation:
“The greatest black woman you all respected, the greatest African woman you have exalted (laugh), is actually white. I’m dead with this “fulera” (slang that often means something or someone is cheap, worthless, ridicule), blacker than her…It reminds me of the pregnant woman from Taubate (a famous Brazilian story about a woman who faked a pregnancy of 4 babies with a huge fake belly) that made Edu Guedes (a Brazilian TV presenter) thrill with her unbelievable story, (continues laughing).”
The model responded to her accuser by making the valid point that most black people have uneven skin and you can have lighter hands than your face and body. Her followers also noted that the palms of your hands don’t have melanin, therefore they will always be light. 
A few of her followers also mentioned that they thought she might be in black face based on her “European features”.
The idea that @melvnin does not look black is absolutely ridiculous. The reality is that many people (including many black people themselves) are unaware of how diverse African genes are. In a 2015 interview legendary black supermodel Iman recalled being referred to by a journalist as “a white woman dipped in chocolate.”
“‘Probably, I’m more black than any black person in America.’ I mean I don’t have any white in me. I’m pure Somali,” Iman explained. “So to me, I took offense to that. I don’t look like a white woman. I look Somali.”
A 2009 scientific study found that Africans are genetically more diverse than the rest of the world combined. And this is exceedingly clear when considering the great diversity in skin color, hair texture and facial features across the African continent.
41 Responses
I am white, sorry I am brown pink when blood pressure high I am mostly red, my wife is Jamaican she is a beautiful darker brown. I do a lot of business in Africa, the east coast, west coast, central and south.
Africa is so large and so diverse, very similar in size to South America! I can not recall how many countries there are, likely 30 or so. The ancestry of these countries vary and hence the look of the people varies. there is not one set African look. Italians from the North can look Swiss, the Southern Italians could pass for Arabic. This difference in appearance comes with thousands of years of existence and mixed genes. This merger of ethnicity is what make the people so beautiful. Only in the US, Canada, Britain and North Europe up to one or two generations ago have the people been generally Caucasian. it was in part the advent of mass transport in the 1950’s and beyond that created more of a melting pot. I suspect in 25 to 50 years we will be seeing each other for what we are, humane and beautiful.
I suggest in the modeling business she has other s__t to worry about.
Here’s a name for you. Amber Rose. Very light like her father who was/is 1/2 Irish. She could pass for & has been accused of being white when she was younger. Probably is still, to some degree. Given that, her mother is from Cape Verde (sp?), she identifies with being black. Whatever trips yer trigger I guess. Oh, & while this Gambian beauty may, does, have European facial features, she’s black. Her hands, palms…… I have in my photo gallery a very very dark skinned lovely who’s palms are pretty white (looking). But, not white like mine…..that match the rest of me. ? Even my shaved head. ?? P.S. Ever notice how we as humans, forget the countries, just us humans sure do beat each other up? Usually verbally, but some of us sure like to get down n’ dirty. Some place, earth. Eh? P.P.S. I have pretty full lips for a white guy. Does that mean I’m black with bleached skin to go along with my naturally blue eyes & my English & German blood? Hum?
I agree that her features are not European, but honey lay off the weave and lenses. Maybe then you won’t have a problem
It’s an aesthetic…
As a gambian, I find this to complete and utter crap. Walking around Gambia or Senegal on a regular basis, you will find many woman with eurocentric feautures. People shouldn’t be so ignorant and glued to the idea that a black woman can only have certain features. It’s honestly ridiculous. My cousin has been told that she could pass for a white girl because of the shape of her nose.. So one could only insinuate that if her nose was wider, she couldn’t? Anywho, brazilians can be some of the most racist and ignoran people out there, and most of the black people there have a hard time accepting themselves, so that is then reflected on others. Ridiculous.
Contact lenses and weave. The rest is authenticly genetic from what I can see. Some photo shopping to change lighting or her complexion was done in a few photos.
I’ve been accused of having a white or Asian parent due to my features (I don’t) but obviously our people and the world at -large STILL fails to realize just how magical melanin and the associated genes are! She is absolutely stunning, though. I like her ever better without the contacts!
I don’t think her features are european at all … her lips are obviously real. Sorry white girls but you can normally tell if lips are fake. Because they look like someone over filled a tire. The eyes could b contacts but I have 2 aunts w eyes that color.
She’s a model… not sure why all the photography experts are commenting on how edited her pictures are. It comes with the territory for people who gain attention and make money off their looks.
I think she’s stunning. I’ve been following her for a while and I was shocked by the response to her features. I don’t think she looks a bit European. TBH, some of the comments in this article are dumb af too. People really can’t let others be.
More like a Black Woman in White “Dress” Contacts, and the hair. Problem solved.
In the photos of her below the story, it is obvious that:
A. She is wearing contacts of come kind in a couple of photos, whether they be dark brown ones or the lighter color.
B. Her skin is not as dark as the photo at the top of the article. She is considerably lighter and she has freckles.
I do not believe she is a white woman, but she certainly is not as dark as her photos. Oh well…
She wears faux freckles, it’s an instagram make up trend. In pictures where you can see her belly you see her color is only one shade lighter than her face, probably because of the foundation she wears. Besides that, weave and contacts, just like half of instagram models.
I saw, for the first time, the fake freckle thing. I just shook my head.
At least the instragram freckles are mainly just makeup, there are people getting fake freckles tattooed on their faces.
As always, people see your skin as your sin. Never let that define you. You can be as colorful as a rainbow and you are still beautiful.
LMFAO, that Brazilian commenter is dumb asf. I’m South Sudanese. we’re one of the darkest people in Africa and my palms are at least 20 shades lighter than me. Thats how it is with black people. What an ignorant ass.
You can tell she’s black by the color of the creases in her hand, but her photos look heavily photoshopped. She seems naturally pretty so she shouldn’t have to edit her photo so much. I wouldn’t be surprised if she looked different in real life.
What’s the big deal! She was created like that… These people really need to get a life!
Exact reason why race, as a social construct, is so stupid because of this desire to categorize people based on stereotypical facial features that are ascribed to particular races of people.
I have had many references to the fact that I don’t have “African nose” and my hair is too straight to be African. I shake my head I don’t feel angry just sorrow at the level of ignorance around me. These are the individuals that think Africa is a country therefore cannot process the fact that diversity exists so does skin tones. These range from the lacquered skin tones to the almost yellow undertones we are a diverse people just like any other race.
I don’t find Europeans that diverse looking unless they have some level of Black or Asian blood in them.
Someone from Sicily does not have the same features as an individual from The Caucasus. I will therefore disagree with your generalised view of a particular ethnic group. To each his own.
White features where?? Is it just me or do her features read as 100% black??? Her lips are full, her nose is wide (and not skeletal), her bridge is flat. Like?? Her nose it buttony. People are so not use to seeing very dark skin (we are NOT in the media and are somehow even rare online even in pro-black spaces) that they don’t know what the fuck we look like. Look at my picture, my palms are light as fuck!
She need to show baby pictures
why should she show verification of her race? She is blatantly a black girl. She shouldn’t have to justify herself for ignorant people. Many africans have eurocentric feautures, she happens to be one of them.
She’s blessed with much beauty!! Some whites don’t believe blacks can be as beautiful as they think they are. Hmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!
She’s gorgeous. However I can’t see why anyone would mistake her for a white woman, she has distinctive black features. Some people never cease to amaze with idiotic comments. The palms of her hands doesn’t even look like the palms of a white person.
Yasss,melanin ..shes beautiful.
There is nothing European about her features, so not sure what folks who say that are referring to. As far as her skin color goes, the picture with the hat does look sketchy b/c of the various complexions on her face as well as the vast color difference of her hands.
Dear idiot poster who called her white: The creases in her hands are BROWN, matching her skin. WTF is wrong with you?
Ignorance Is Bliss!!
What a bunch of nonsense.
Anyways she’s stunning!
She’s beautiful! I would NEVER mistake her for anything else but a beautiful person of color.
to be fair her front facing picture did throw me xD (the last one with grey hair) haha
but other than that theres nothing “non-black” about her ~
This is ridiculous I swear white people.All black people have light palms and light feet that is natural.She is so beautiful she has to be white seriously with this.Black people can’t get a break.
Uh Yeah, I guess she spray tanned the lines in her hand tooooo! Yeah , she’s good!???
though its ridiculous to accuse her of being white, you can’t deny that
it’s hard to know what she really looks like with all that make up and colored lenses
The same can be said for any woman who wears makeup.
I can’t with those contacts tho. That’s all I got for this one.
Please! Everyone uses make up, that doesn’t change your ethnicity! I’m tired of people believing that to be African is one look… it’s a whole continent. I’m Ugandan and we have a mix of very different tribes (that might be said to look Somali, Ethiopian or the prevalent Ugandan specific tribes etc… plus the Arab, Indian settlers- who have been here centuries and before anyone says that this does not make you African please remember the part played by ‘Asian’ Africans in the ANC. Also, there are Africans who have hazel eyes, and blond hair who are not a European mix. Why judge this woman, don’t we have enough problems??
She doesn’t like the contacts. She didn’t say anything about Africans having one look. No need to go into a lecture.
Giving too much power to Europeans.