Salem Mitchell Schools Hater Who Called Her ‘Ghetto’
Instagram haters beware: Model Salem Mitchell is not hair for your prejudicial comments.
It is not uncommon for white women to be praised for braids, but when black and brown women wear the protective style, they become subject to hateful and harmful comments.
Salem Mitchell found herself in this situation when a picture of her was shared on Vogue’s Instagram page.
In the post, Mitchell lounges completely unbothered on the beach, sporting a red swimsuit, glowing freckly skin, and box braids.
— SALEM (@salemmitchell) July 8, 2018
While most of the comments like “she’s stunning,” or Yara Shahidi’s heart-eye emojis, are uplifting, others were less so, including one commenter who used “ghetto” to describe her.
Using her “platform of over 200,000 people,” Mitchell posted to her Instagram Stories a screenshot of the comment to break down its damaging impact.
“Everything about what I look like is considered ‘trendy’ in the media and in fashion right now. The freckles, the braids, the big lips, etc. But on a black woman it’s ghetto for NO reason and we’re tired of it,” the 20-year-old wrote.
In an interview with Teen Vogue, Mitchell explained why it was important for her to address the comment.
“When people say ignorant things like the ‘ghetto’ comment, I speak up because I know other girls are hearing [it] in their own lives too,” Mitchell said.
“Black women are constantly stereotyped in public and even in the workplace, and it needs to stop,” Salem continued. “It takes conversations, [and] it takes sticking up for ourselves and one another to make the progress.”
In an ideal world racism would cease to exist, but unfortunately, that is not the case, so it’s important to follow in Mitchell’s lead in continuing the conversation of cultural appropriation and discrimination.
