Five Celebrities Who Have Been Victims of Body Shaming for Their Skin. In the wake of recent events where an actress accused Mide Martins of body shaming and pressuring her to bleach her skin, the discussion surrounding body shaming and skin bleaching has resurfaced. However, this issue extends beyond this particular incident. Let’s explore five other Nigerian celebrities who have faced similar scrutiny and criticism for their skin tone. Here’s the list.
1. Habibat Jinad
During the current week, Nigerian actress Habibat Jinad initiated a discussion on social media by disclosing information about the prevalence of bleaching and body shaming within Nollywood. In an interview, she recounted how her self-confidence suffered greatly when her senior colleague, Mide Martins, purportedly ridiculed her due to her skin tone, even likening her to a monkey while they were on set. Her words below.
HABIBAT JINAD: Mide Martins calling me a monkey got me. Before then, when you’re on set, they’ll be like you’re too dark. So when she now said that I now said let me change and that’s what led me to buy bleaching cream.
2. Tiwa Savage
In 2015, when Tiwa Savage posted this photograph of herself, she received severe criticism, not just for her attire, but also for her skin tone and complexion. People disparaged the color of her feet, her legs, and remarked that they “didn’t match her face.” The comments about the image were plentiful, to the extent that Tiwa felt compelled to respond to them all. She uploaded a photo of bleaching cream with the caption “Ore na to begin dey bleach o,” indicating her frustration with the situation.
3. Sean Tizzle
Another Nigerian musician who faced significant ridicule for his skin is singer, Sean Tizzle. In fact, during a 2016 interview with The Net NG, Sean Tizzle abruptly ended the interview when the interviewer inquired about his skin lightening practices. Expressing his frustration, Sean Tizzle responded, “I don’t know why you would bring this question up,” before gesturing with the F U sign and leaving the set. Both online and offline, Sean Tizzle endured relentless criticism for his skin, with the scrutiny being incessant.
4. Seyi Shay
Occasionally, individuals who have experienced skin shaming themselves become perpetrators of skin shaming. This was evident when Tiwa Savage, who has been a target of skin shaming, engaged in a confrontation with Seyi Shay at a beauty salon and subjected her to skin shaming remarks. Tiwa commented on Seyi Shay’s appearance, saying, “Look at you. You look half-dead. Look at your skin. You know what? For clear skin, you need to mind your business. That’s what will clear up your freaking ugly skin.”
5. Jaywon
The last singer on today’s lineup is Jaywon, who shared a photo of himself donning a camo shirt and green shorts on his social media platform, only to face immediate backlash for the color of his legs. Jaywon endured severe skin shaming, with comments like “Your leg doesn’t even match your face… your leg looking like roasted plantain… say no to skin bleaching” flooding in.
In response, Jaywon retorted: “Even someone who doesn’t use cream is accused of bleaching… your father just failed because it’s obvious you lack proper upbringing, please take your negative attitude away from my page.”
Skin shaming is a despicable act. Even if you have inquiries or comments about someone’s skin, please express them with love and respect, especially if you know the person. There is never a justification for insulting or shaming someone because of their skin. If you wouldn’t appreciate it being done to you, don’t do it to others. Let’s put an end to skin and body shaming, please.