Nationwide — Naomie Pilula, who is from Zambia, went viral after posting a selfie in June that drew more than 530,000 comments on Instagram. Most of them mocked her looks, with strangers questioning if she was real, accusing her of using filters, and even suggesting cosmetic surgery.
One comment in particular told her to “try rhinoplasty.” Others went further, calling her ugly and saying she didn’t deserve to be on the internet, she told People.
At first, Pilula posted a frustrated reply, but she later deleted it and turned to her older sister for advice. That talk made her realize some insecurities from the past still lingered, even though she thought she had moved on.
Instead of giving in, Pilula leaned on her Christian faith. She quoted scriptures like Psalm 139 and found strength in the story of Joseph in Genesis, where what was meant for harm turned into good. The backlash, she says, did not break her. Instead, it grew her following from 1,000 in April to more than 20,000 by August.
Her decision to leave the selfies online comes from a place of self-acceptance. “I love myself and I can be myself,” she says. “Like it or not, this is what I’m going to do.”
The hurt behind the bullying has roots in her past. Pilula grew up in Zambia as the youngest of seven siblings, where cultural standards praised curvier women. She was pressured to gain weight and teased about her slim frame. As a teenager, she was also ridiculed for her nose, which she proudly says she inherited from her father.
She later studied in Australia and New Zealand, often finding herself the only Black person in her classes. Those years taught her how cultural standards of beauty shift from place to place, but also how they can make someone feel isolated. Over time, she learned to accept her features and build confidence in who she was.
Now 37 years old and working as a lawyer in Zambia’s financial sector, Pilula says she won’t delete her selfies despite the negativity. For her, resilience is part of her message: what others intend to destroy can become a source of strength.