Minnie Dlamini returns from social media hiding: ‘Lead with love’
Minnie Dlamini appears unbothered by the tough week she has had on social media.
Does Minnie Dlamini owe us an apology?
The celebrity and Homeground co-host took a leave of absence from all social media activity last week after her Bantu knots unveiling didn’t catch on as she would have hoped.
It had little to do with the picture. Minnie Dlamini, wife of entrepreneur Quinton Jones, is a dream to look at. That’s not negotiable.
People were taken aback by the caption that accompanied the image.
Referring to Bantu knots as ‘ghetto’ is problematic – Here’s why
Dlamini may argue that social media is too sensitive or that she wrote that in jest. However, it would be inextricably hard to argue that the connotations attached to what she said were not problematic.
In any setting, the term ‘ghetto’ is derogatory and is, more times than not, attached to people of colour. Dlamini used the term as a reference to her at-home hairstyle of choice which, in this case, is the Bantu knots.
Suffice it to say, the virtual walls came crashing for the celebrity. Social activists from all walks of life descended into Dlamini’s Twitter timeline, calling her out for her tone-deafness and apparent ‘coon-ish’ mindset.
Some of her supporters felt betrayed by her apparent ignorance. Someone as influential as Dlamini should not be perpetuating the false perception of black hairstyles as ‘ghetto’ looks that are not suited for any other environment but home.
Minnie Dlamini returns to social media with this message
None of these opinions mattered to the 30-year-old, though. Dlamini opted for some time away from social media for about a week, only popping up on Instagram on Friday, 21 August 2020 to post an aesthetically pleasing full-body portrait of herself with the caption, “I never walk alone.”
On Twitter, however, Dlamini popped back up on Monday with an indirect statement on her position concerning the hatred she has received on the platform.
It’s business as usual, then?