Jennifer Lopez is being accused of appropriating the term ‘Black Girl Magic’ in a recent social media post.
The phrase has been popular across social media since being coined by CaShawn Thompson in 2013, intended to celebrate the ‘beauty, power and resilience’ of black women.
The On the Floor singer has been embroiled in a bit of controversy recently, after a couple of selfies sparked accusations of appropriating black culture.
The actress and singer, 50, posted two selfies online showing herself wearing a white t-shirt with the slogan ‘Bronx Girl Magic’ printed on it, along with the hashtag.
Followers took issue with the post, with one user writing: ‘I hate how people act so shocked and offended when I say I’m not a fan of JLo because as a Latina, I’m supposed to idolize her or something. Black women can’t have shit lol the f*ck is Bronx Girl Magic?’
Another person wrote: ’30+ years in the game and I see you’re still UNORIGINAL’, with further user adding: ‘Can black girls have anything. anything at all.’
While critics have said Lopez is ‘always stealing from black girls… nothing new… nothing innovative’ and that the post was ‘wack’, others have jumped to the pop star’s defence, saying people need to mind their ‘damn business’. One user added: ‘I wont tell y’all how to feel about this but y’all love to stay mad for unnecessary shit sometimes.’
Another supporter wrote: ‘As a black person I’m confused on why other black people are mad. I get it, it sounds very similar to blackgirlmagic, but the meanings of the two are different. Bronxgirlmagic is about the magic of a girl from the Bronx and blackgirlmagic is about the magic of a black woman.’
Another commented:
Y’all really bashing JLo for this and I’m not here for it. ‘She’s done nothing for the Bronx’ okay.. you’re getting your income tax check soon I wanna see what you gonna do for the Bronx since you got so much to say. Let her rep where she’s from and mind your damn business.
Following critical acclaim for her turn in Hustlers, Jennifer Lopez will take to the stage for halftime show on tomorrow night’s Super Bowl, February 2.
As the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs go head-to-head, Lopez and Shakira will be headlining the halftime festivities (Demi Lovato will also be singing the national anthem).
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.