K Naomi, has been accused of colourism after comments about her daughters’ different skin tones sparked debate on social media.
The television presenter and influencer, real name Keitumetse Naomi Phakathi, shared a heartfelt message about missing her girls, but her remarks about their complexions became a talking point, with social media users questioning the need to highlight the differences.
In the post, K Naomi explained that one of her daughters spent a lot of time playing outside, while her younger sister was much lighter-skinned.
“Missed my girls so much… Guys, Ama is allways playing outside, but she looks darker because Nethisa is SO light, she looks exactly like my mother-in-law,” she shared on Instagram.
She went on to draw comparisons between one of her daughters and her own mother, pointing to their shared facial features.
Colourism refers to discrimination or preferential treatment based on skin tone, often favouring lighter-skinned people over those with darker complexions.
The issue remains sensitive in South Africa, where colonialism and apartheid entrenched racial hierarchies that continue to influence perceptions of beauty and skin colour.
Social media user Tiffany Law questioned why K Naomi felt the need to explain her daughter’s darker complexion, arguing that the resemblance to her mother should not have required an explanation.
“She wanted to explain away her child’s darker complexion as if it was being questioned as if K herself being dark skinned isn’t logical enough to not warrant any questioning of her child being the same colour as her,” Law said.
Another critic, Miss M, shared her perspective as a dark-skinned woman who said she had experienced colourism throughout her life.
“As a dark skinned woman who has gone through this all her life, this is colourism from a mother towards her own child! Yuck,” she said.
K Naomi responds to backlash
Responding to the backlash, K Naomi expressed disbelief that a personal moment celebrating her children and their family resemblances had resulted in allegations of colourism.
“Apparently, I’m being called a colourist for posting a picture of my children and sharing how much they remind me of two significant women in my life,” she said.
She emphasised that her daughters had their own distinctive features, explaining that she posted to celebrate their resemblance to women important to her.
“Two little girls with their own unique features, each bearing such a beautiful resemblance to women who mean so much to me,” she said.
The media personality questioned how her sentimental post had become the subject of a wider debate about colourism, arguing that her intentions had been misunderstood.
“How a sentimental moment about family resemblance has turned into a conversation about colourism is honestly beyond me,” she said.
She maintained that the post was simply a mother appreciating her children and the family connections she saw in their appearances.
“Not everything needs to be interpreted through a negative lens. Sometimes, a mother is simply celebrating her children and the women she sees in them,” she said.
K Naomi also accused some critics of deliberately interpreting her words negatively.
“It’s crazy how people will deliberately misinterpret something so innocent just to fit their own negative narratives and projections,” she said.
She added: “Not everything needs to be twisted into something it was never intended to be.”
