YouTube made rapper Doja Cat the face of its ‘#WCE’ (Woman Crush Everyday) playlist released on Tuesday.
The site was quickly flooded with claims YouTube lightened Doja’s appearance and she responded shortly after sharing the news with fans in a post.
In a series of Instagram stories, 24-year-old Doja slammed at those claims and defended her multi-racial identity and varying skin tone.
Clapping back: In a series of Instagram stories, Doja Cat clapped back at claims her skin was lightened in a new photo released by YouTube on Tuesday and defended her multi-racial identity and varying skin tone
Sharing the promotional photo, she scrolled through comments under the post celebrating the playlist to her YouTube channel.
‘If you’re stupid as f**k you probably left a comment under this picture talking about this,’ the Doja (born Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini) said showing comments about her skin.
The photo shared by YouTubed shows the singer with long blonde curled hair, wearing a baby pink headset and a pink lacy top.
Face of the playlist: YouTube made her the face of their ‘#WCE’ playlist and fans quickly claimed her skin tone was lightened
‘oh dang why’d they make her white,’ one read, while another said ‘Doja’s light but she’s not that light.’
Others continued to pile on ‘Melanin said: Ight imma head out,’ and ‘The caucasity jumped out.’
Some commentors directed the comments to YouTube, saying ‘Editors lightened her skin, not Doja’ and ‘Doja please don’t let them whitewash you …that pic is over exposed.’
Her response: ‘If you’re stupid as f**k you probably left a comment under this picture talking about this,’ the Doja (born Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini) said showing comments about her skin
White wash: One fan said Doja looked ‘gorge’ but that is looked ‘a little white washed’
Skin tone change: ‘Oh dang why’d they make her white lol’ another wrote
Marketing? Others implied it was a marketing ploy saying ‘I guess the more closer to white you are the more you market, right’
Others implied it was a marketing ploy saying ‘I guess the more closer to white you are the more you market, right?’
To which Doja responded: ‘How about I’m half white, not entirely black? My skin gets very light when I don’t tan, I was staying indoors a lot before that shoot. New f*****g subject, dumba***s.’
Speaking to Dazed in 2018, Doja previously said her father Dumisani is a South-African dancer and actor, while her mother Deborah is Jewish-American and a painter.
Mixed heritage: Doja responded: ‘How about I’m half white, not entirely black? My skin gets very light when I don’t tan, I was staying indoors a lot before that shoot. New f*****g subject, dumba***s.’ She has previously said her father is South-African and her mother is Jewish-American
Defending Doja: ‘Isn’t she half white, why is this even a problem,’ one wrote
Where to focus: Another added ‘How about focus on her talent and not her skin tone’
Pressed: ‘Ya’ll are so pressed about how she looks in this one photo that she didn’t even take or edit…She’s always doing Instagram lives and is transparent about her ethnicity,’ another said. ‘She’s extremely beautiful and the internet are crybabies looking for something to complain about’
Other fans came to her defense citing both her mixed race heritage and that her skin tone was irrelevant.
‘Isn’t she half white, why is this even a problem,’ one wrote, with another adding ‘How about focus on her talent and not her skin tone.’
‘Ya’ll are so pressed about how she looks in this one photo that she didn’t even take or edit…She’s always doing Instagram lives and is transparent about her ethnicity,’ another said. ‘She’s extremely beautiful and the internet are crybabies looking for something to complain about.’
Record year: Doja is having a record year, she recently made her Tonight Show debut performing her first Billboard Top 20 song, Say So and her album Hot Pink peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 in the US
Doja is having a record year, she recently made her Tonight Show debut performing her first Billboard Top 20 song, Say So and her album Hot Pink peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 in the US.
She will be touring her album on the Hot Pink Tour beginning later this month.
Her hit songs include Juicy (feat. Tyga), Say So, Tia Tamera (feat. Rico Nasty), So High and Say So.