If you’ve been anywhere near the popular social media platform Vine, you’ll recognize the name Simone Shepherd. Shepherd is one out of two black women on the platform to amass over 3.1 million followers.
With that popularity comes scrutiny of appearance. Like many celebrities, Shepherd opted to undergo cosmetic surgery and reconstruct her nose. While rhinoplasty is common in Western culture, within the Black American community, it’s often seen as a way of cultural erasure and some of Shepherd’s fans felt it was their duty to let her know under several new posts on her Instagram account:
Shepherd initially responded under one Instagram photo:
Later, she took to her Facebook page with a more in depth reflection on her choice to alter her appearance and why it does not challenge her innate blackness.
