A social media influencer has sparked a heated debate after expressing her concerns about the struggles Black content creators face while working with brands. Ebonee Davis highlighted the issue in a video she posted on TikTok on Thursday.

The influencer said she lost out on a five-figure deal with an unnamed brand after going to Instagram to post a photo of herself modeling a popular fashion brand. The photo, first posted on Instagram on July 10, shows that Davis tagged the Theophilio clothing brand while posing in an outfit that partially revealed her bare behind. Although Theophilio was tagged in the picture, Davis did not disclose whether she was referring to the clothing brand.

“My n***a took these,” she wrote in the caption of the photo.

Theophilio’s Instagram account then commented on the photo, replying with three heart emojis to praise the model.

In her post Thursday, Davis said she later received a call from her agent, who said the company thought the picture and caption were inappropriate. The influencer defended her use of the caption, saying, “It’s a playful articulation of the love I have for my man.”

“It has been generally agreed on by the Black community for decades that the N-word isn’t derogatory,” she added in her video. “It’s a term of endearment.”

As for the photo, Davis said the picture shows “a Black girl living her best life.”

“There is nothing inappropriate about it, especially not in the world we live in today,” she said. “For centuries Black women’s bodies have been scrutinized, they have been picked apart, they have been deemed unworthy. This is yet again an extension of that rhetoric.”

The only way somebody else can deem this as inappropriate, Davis says, is “if they projected their sexual desire onto me.”

“Or if they projected their underlying judgements onto me, which is what we call prejudice,” she said.

This kind of attitude, Davis said, threatens her livelihood in the same way that “these systems of oppression have threatened the livelihood of Black women for centuries.”

The model said brands want access to her audience of mostly Black women “without actually having a full appreciation for Black culture.”

“Why is it that what’s considered appropriate or professionalism is always adjacent to whiteness,” she said.

Davis added that brands want the activist part of her that is articulate, but they don’t see the other side of her “Black girl magic.”

“The other side of me knows how to turn up and throw this ass,” she said. “We don’t have to erase or hide any aspect of our personality in order to get these bags. If you can’t handle me at my ‘back that ass up,'” you don’t deserve me at my ‘I have a dream.'”

While some social media users agree with Davis’ sentiments, others are mostly taking issue with the caption she included in her post.

Theophilio, although not specifically identified as the brand Davis was referencing, has previously posted another photo of a model who appears to be wearing the same outfit seen in Davis’ picture. 

 

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A post shared by Theophilio (@theophilio)

The company posts other photos of Black models of all genders wearing short skirts, crop tops, skin-tight clothing and cultural outfits.

Black modelEbonee DavisInfluencers