Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’s Erica Mena clapped back at the “blackfishing” backlash by bragging she wants to be “the same color as Bernice (Burgos).”
Source: Albert L. Ortega/Johnny Nunez / Getty
After facing the world’s vitriol for calling her Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta co-star, Spice, a “monkey,” the 35-year-old decided to take a vacay and beach her worries away. The actress couldn’t have predicted she would accidentally continue the color controversy while soaking up the sun.
As the fiery Latina live-streamed to her IG followers, she flaunted her curvy body in a string bikini before stating, “I better leave here the same color as Bernice.”
“If I’m not Bernice’s color, I’m not getting on that plane,” Mena told someone off-camera as she sat in a floatie.
Source: Joi Stokes / Getty
Subsequently, social media users began to criticize the mom of two for desiring to darken her skin after yelling racist insults at the dancehall singer — a Black woman.
“here erica mena go again with the skin color comments,” an X user announced.
Another user posted a video meme to illustrate Bernice’s response when she awoke as a trending topic.
A passionate X user declared, “Erica Mena is not a black woman, she’s blackfishing , here’s how she used to look before she turned herself black and here’s her parents; they are not black.”
There were some who came to the model’s defense.
“Erica mena getting bashed for having a fckn tan, in the summer, is wild!! Would y’all feel better if she used her winter foundation on her summer tan? Like how is wearing make up to match your current skin color blackface?! Please shut up! Y’all sound uneducated af.”
“She’s referring to Bernice because they are both of Hispanic/Latina culture. Practically saying how can she hate Black as a skin colour when her nationality produces the same skin colours,” one person commented on Instagram.
“Who wouldn’t want to have Bernice’s beautiful colour?”, Mena said in her defense under The Shaderoom’s IG post. “Especially on vacation,” she continued.
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
Erica, you would have been okay if you left the “especially on vacation” part out.
“The fact that I actually do get colour naturally in the sun ALL my life and it’s now being considered as me blackfacing is pathetic,” the former video vixen retorted.
The New York native concluded, “This is ins*ne how pressed people are about someone they claim is ‘cancelled’ 🤷🏽♀️.”
Is Erica Mena trolling after the “monkey” comment, or are people looking for a reason to drag her in her newly melanated skin?
