On Sunday night, Lil’ Kim posted a photo of her newest face to Instagram. And needless to say, it was met with, “Who dis woman, Harpo?” comments.
Sure, we can sit and joke about how Lil’ Kim went from being a beautiful black woman to a white version of herself. That’s the easy way out. But what people fail to see are the underlying issues at play.
In an interview with Newsweek in 2000, the rapper spoke about her self-esteem issues and how she was treated by men.
“All my life men have told me I wasn’t pretty enough—even the men I was dating. And I’d be like, ‘Well, why are you with me, then?’” It’s always been men putting me down just like my dad. To this day when someone says I’m cute, I can’t see it. I don’t see it no matter what anybody says.”
I can’t help but wonder if Lil’ Kim’s constant evolution into something not her original self has to do with the negative treatment she’s received from men. Couple that with a possible issue with body dysmorphic disorder, and you have Lil’ Kim 2016.
I’m still not exactly sure what Lil’ Kim’s end goals are. I’m not even sure if she knows what they are. But I wish there had been someone around her when she was younger to let her know her brown skin was gorgeous. She was gorgeous. And f—k the haters.
It’s really sad that her young daughter will probably never be able to see herself in her mother. And even if she tried, it’s probably too late for Lil’ Kim to bring back the face of Kimberly Jones from the ’90s.