Sarah Langa says pretty people should "uplift people who don't feel pretty"
Over the weekend, the fashion influencer had the Twitter streets all worked up with her bold statement.
Another day, another influencer putting her foot in her mouth.
Or did she?
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A recent clip from an interview with Sarah Langa was making the rounds on Twitter and for some reason, people were getting quite worked up.
The video snippet is from a longer interview that took place a few months ago, but people are only concerned with what was mentioned in this 30-second clip.
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Festive Get-Together premiered in December 2020 and was a three-part special that focused on spending quality time with loved ones over the festive season, with Unathi Nkayi as the host.
In the second episode, longtime friends Sarah Langa and Kefilwe Mabote sat down with the 'Idols' judge to discuss all things life and business, as well as diving into common misconceptions and their legacies.
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During this interview, Unathi, Sarah, and Kefilwe spoke about pretty privilege.
The initial Tweet, which includes the short video, praises Sarah for speaking up about pretty privilege and her approach:
Sarah Langa on pretty girl privilege 👌🏽❤️ She captured it so well. I’m glad she is aware of it and not denying it pic.twitter.com/SAb4zwObrh
— Mampho B (@mampho_b) June 4, 2021
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Almost immediately, replies started flooding in.
People seemed confused as to how 'being pretty' can be a privilege and how one should utilise it in order to help others.
Sarah Langa really said "as a pretty girl with pretty privilege, your role is to uplift people who dont feel pretty." 😭😭
— MPHO🌻 (@MphoMoalamedi) June 5, 2021
It's so harmful to reduce desirability politics to "I have to make you feel pretty"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣So what does her role in empowering non-pretty ladies mean?Does she give them some of her gigs?also Is Sarah not a graduate ?you would swear she did not finish H.S!
— Zee (@Zoezara5) June 5, 2021
So she’s basically saying being pretty is a privilege cos there are people who are not pretty 😂🤣😂🤣 or is she saying feeling pretty is a privilege because there are people who don’t feel pretty ??? 😂🤣😂🤣 I’m confused 🤷🏾♂️
— Southy (@multimill80) June 5, 2021
Sarah Langa on pretty girl privilege 👌🏽❤️ She captured it so well. I’m glad she is aware of it and not denying it pic.twitter.com/SAb4zwObrh
— Mampho B (@mampho_b) June 4, 2021
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Others were ready to defend Sarah, stating that everyone knew and understood what she was trying to say, although she might have fumbled her delivery.
There were also a few accusations of bullying and even Beyonce got brought into it!
It's the fact that we all could understand what Sarah Langa was trying to say but we're so deep into this culture of shaming that we miss the opportunity to educate/correct politely.
— Vuyo (@LadyinPR_Cpt) June 6, 2021
You guys bully Sarah Langa. A lot.
— Nan Sishange (@NanSishange) June 5, 2021
She even once started stuttering because of the cyber bullying, even then you laughed. She used your “hate” as motivation to study, you mocked her even more. Unenzeni?
You are bullying her.
Beyonce was trying to uplift brown skinned women who may not feel like they are pretty. Sarah Langa articulates a similar thing & suddenly yall have a problem.
— Imagine. (@Chooma_) June 6, 2021
It's not the message that you don't like, you have a problem with the messenger.
— GOTTI🧊 (@pretty_hun_) June 6, 2021
Some People are just angry that Sarah Langa said point blank, "I am pretty" and it's not debatable..... she has no doubt in her mind about her pretty. Let's not be pressed!
— Cassie Nkhuwa (@4real_cassie) June 6, 2021
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According to an article written by Markus Mobius and Tanya Rosenblat, 'pretty privilege' is what happens when those who meet societal beauty standards experience social advantages and better treatment by those who perceive them as attractive. Psychology researchers refer to this as the 'beauty premium' and more commonly known as 'pretty privilege'.
So Sarah might not have used all the right words and phrases according to Twitter, but she is clearly on to something.
You can watch the full interview right here:
Want to catch up on all your favourite duo's best moments? Listen to everything #StaceyAndJSbu below:
Main image courtesy of Sarah Langa Official Twitter