Christina Milian's boyfriend Matt Pokora is being dragged for comparing her daughter Violet's bantu knot hairstyle to the coronavirus. Pokora — who is white, was filming the 10-year-old and focused on her hairstyle and included a virus emoji, a crying laughing emoji and then a heart at the end. He also drew an arrow from the virus emoji to one of the Bantu knots on Violet's head.
Of course, people took to Twitter to comment on Pokora's actions. One person wrote, "If you are in a mixed couple with a black person, please educate yourself there are a lot of things which seem to be only humor in your eyes but which are micro aggressions which echo a lived experience that you n don’t have.”
Another wrote, "Matt Pokora is a lil b*tch and he’s deleted from my white bae list!!!" Another Twitter user wrote, "I understand it was a joke but not a good one, especially at the little girl's expense. Children are off limits, especially with social media. People will break this down- she is not his biological child, her esteem, the culture given the hairstyle. Many layers!"
Madamenoire pointed out the history of the bantu knot hairstyle. The style has roots in Southern and Cenral Africa that stretch back to over 100 years. The name comes from 300-600 ethnic groups who speak the Bantu language. It’s a protective style that can be used for stretching, maintaining moisture, adding curls all the while honoring African culture.