Launched in 2023, the “Gotta B Me Podcast” is a visual and audio podcast hosted by Sophia and Payton Benion. The Black woman siblings are deeply religious and under the Church of God, a pentecostal Christian denomination. On the podcast, the girls cover topics relating to religion, Black history, and more. But a video shared on their official TikTok page raised some concerns among other Black women.
The Viral Video Explained
Although the podcast has been out for over a year, a video shared from the official “Gotta B Me Podcast” TikTok account went viral almost overnight. In the video, which now holds over 500,000 views on the platform, the Benion sisters and their counterparts talk about the beauty in being natural.
“I just wish Black women knew that you don’t gotta wear wigs to be beautiful. You don’t have to wear eyelashes to be beautiful, eyebrows, you don’t need all that,” one girl shares in the video. “And that’s not Black girl magic either. Black girl magic is natural, it looks way better.”
The Backlash
Although the video gained over 20,000 likes, lots of the comments weren’t receptive.
“Black women please continue to do what makes YOU happy. Don’t let people try to police how you want to show up in the world,” one comment read.
Another addressed the Black girl magic statement.
“Black girl magic is not based on appearance. It’s based on what’s inside, loving yourself despite others opinions,” another user commented.
Lots of other Black women took to TikTok to stitch the viral video with more commentary. Many of the video stitches explain how the “Gotta B Me Podcast” members are adhering to their own version of rules. The podcast hosts dress extremely modest, don’t wear makeup and wear simple hairstyles. Essentially, their religion influences their opinions on other Black women’s actions.
The Response
Although the “Gotta B Me Podcast” hosts never issued a response to their previous video, social media users have reached a consensus. Most Black women are pointing out that the Benion sisters are biracial, as they have showcased their white mother on their platform in previous videos. These Black women went on to explain that certain biracial Black women don’t understand the policing and judgement that some other Black women are exposed to and therefore shouldn’t judge.
“Why is there always this push towards Black women to accept ourselves naturally?” Black woman TikTok user @mericolaaa stated in a video.
The truth is, society is filled with many women who try out different makeup, hair and skincare routines. But for some reason Black women are the main ones ridiculed for having autonomy over their own beauty standards.