JESY Nelson has faced accusations of “blackfishing”.
It follows alleged leaked DMs from former Little Mix bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock.
What ethnicity is Jesy Nelson?
Jesy was born on June 14, 1991 and is an English singer.
Her ethnicity is white.
She was raised in Romford, East London, to parents John Nelson, a businessman, and Janis Nelson, a Police Community Support Officer.
Why has Jesy Nelson been accused of ‘blackfishing’?
Jesy has been accused of blackfishing on a number of occasions since leaving Little Mix in 2020.
She came under fire after her debut solo single Boyz with Nicki Minaj was released in October 2021.
Responding to blackfishing claims, Jesy said: “The whole time I was in Little Mix I never got any of that. And then I came out of [the band] and people all of a sudden were saying it.
“But I mean, like, I love black culture. I love black music. That’s all I know; it’s what I grew up on.
“I’m very aware that I’m a white British woman; I’ve never said that I wasn’t.”
Blackfishing is described as when Caucasian people use artificial tanning, filters and make-up to manipulate facial or bodily features in order to appear to have some sort of Black African, Arab or Hispanic ancestry or to appear mixed race.
What have Little Mix members said about Jesy Nelson?
Little Mix fans have been left stunned by a series of messages apparently sent by Leigh-Anne Pinnock slamming her former bandmate Jesy.
Influencer No Hun revealed the private DMs, apparently sent from Leigh-Anne, accusing Jesy of “blackfishing”.
In one message, believed to have been sent from Leigh-Anne’s Instagram account, Leigh-Anne says: “She [Jesy] blocked us. Cut us off. Horrible person.”
In another, she appears to write: “Do a video about her being a blackfish instead.”
Her Instagram account also liked a post by @everydayracism, which had posted a short guide to blackfishing after “a lot of talk” on the topic over the past few days.
Leigh-Anne’s Little Mix bandmates Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall, both have also unfollowed Jesy on Instagram — as has the account belonging to Perrie’s dog Hatchi.
Representatives for the band have been approached for comment.