- Enhle Mbali’s recent use of a racial slur in relation to her hair has reignited discussions about other racially troubling instances in her past
- The actress faced criticism in 2016 after making a post that aimed to celebrate darker skin tones
- Social media users revisited the negative implications of Enhle Mbali’s comments regarding afro hair
Enhle Mbali was expected to fulfill her role as an ambassador for Carlton Hair, but her recent remarks about afro hair have led to controversy. The model issued an apology for her negative comments about her own hair while promoting Carlton Hair’s treatments.
Enhle Mbali’s choice of words struck a chord with many black South Africans after she used the k-word. This stirred memories of her earlier incident in 2016, during which she drew significant backlash for a racial post.
The actress’s recent use of the k-word to describe her hair called attention to her previous controversy regarding blackface. At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Enhle posted a photo of herself wearing dark face makeup along with red lipstick to make a statement. In her Instagram caption, she mentioned that the day love prevails would be when “we love ourselves enough to start bleaching browner, when our love for ourselves gets black lives to matter even more.”
Responses to her photo were immediate and critical. In a 2016 News24 piece, Enhle reportedly stated that her intention was not to offend. She commented that if people were upset about her darker face paint, it illustrated her point that concerns about skin color were misplaced. Her stance was, “All lives matter, no matter where their hues are in the colour wheel.” Enhle did apologize to those who took issue with her approach.
Source: Getty Images
Enhle Mbali’s blackface incident sparks outrage
Many individuals who found her apology for using the k-word unconvincing pointed to the blackface controversy from 2016. Critics have suggested that her past actions suggest she should not serve as an ambassador for Carlton Hair. Social media commenters emphasized that her tendency to be racially insensitive is not a new issue. See Enhle’s blackface post, reshared by @makhuele below:
Z❄️ remarked:
“I don’t forgive her. She literally did something like this during the brown skin girl era, so this isn’t her first offence.”
@PeeloveNxumalo questioned:
“What’s wrong with this lady? I’ve known that she isn’t the brightest, but this?”
@CvltvreTLK defended Enhle:
“I get what she’s saying. A lot of black people, black women in particular, bleach their skin lighter as they perceive lighter skin to be more desirable. We all have a deeply rooted hatred for ourselves as black people.”
@Makhuele observed:
“I’m not surprised, even though I don’t think she’s a bad person, I do think she’s ignorant.”
@_BigMadam commented:
“Painted herself black like she’s not already black 😭👋🏾”
@SponkyponkyL added:
“Ke eng ka Mbali mara? This thing of aspiring to be woke is insane. She’s a smart woman and needs to do better. I’m so disappointed.”
