Jennifer Olaleye (Instagram/@jenniferolaleye)
A Black beauty vlogger came out on top after the pages of women jeering her dark skin were removed.
Jennifer Olaleye was ridiculed recently by two non-Black women after she shared a selfie on her Instagram page. As a makeup artist, Olaleye regularly shares new looks with her followers. Many of her fans praise her skills, but these two women questioned the 24-year-old’s ownership of her Blackness.
The pair, who were reportedly Arab and/or South Asian, left the remarks under Olaleye’s Nov. 16 post and the vlogger quickly noticed.
“I don’t know where dark-skinned girls are getting this confidence from,” user @i_amneen wrote. Another user, named @alzskis, replied that she thought the confidence was fake.
Olaleye followed up by taking a screenshot of the comments and urging her fans to report the women.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BM4y1GTD5LM/?taken-by=jenniferolaleye
She also responded to the posters by asserting her confidence is completely real, adding it nothing to do with her “beautiful, gorgeous melanin-infused skin.” Her response falls in line with singer Cori Broadus’ love of her dark-skin, which she celebrated on Instagram last week.
Following Olaleye’s reply, her fans jumped in to fight back against the women. They defended the representation of Black women online by celebrating their skin tones.
@queenzee__x blamed the non-Black women’s responses on them being intimidated by Black women’s melanin.
@funkyfunmi said the women acted hatefully because of Olaleye’s success.
Ultimately, both @alzskis’ and @i_amneen’s pages became inaccessible. It is unclear if they took them down voluntarily or if they were removed by Instagram. Still, Olaleye’s fans remained steadfast and constant in their defense of the Black beauty.
@rahrvh gave an explanation as to why detractors can’t discourage Black women.
@ekhaitt expressed sorrow that Olaleye was attacked and encouraged her to continue to show off her makeup skills.
@prettylotongo told the comments section to let her know if the women returned.
Meanwhile, other fans had encouraging words for Olaleye. One user told the makeup artist to “keep shining.”
@coffeecoatedcurls remarked on Olaleye’s inner and outer beauty.
On Nov. 23, Olaleye thanked her fans for their support.
“You guys are amazing,” she wrote in part.
