Charmaine Bey, former star of “Black Ink Crew: Chicago” is adding published author to her resume with the release of her new children’s book “Nubians Come in All Shades“.
As the mother of two young daughters, Charmaine shares her inspiration for writing the book after receiving criticism on social media over the appearance of her little girls. The happily married reality star and radio personality have had to deal with social media trolls who accuse her of birthing “Steph Curry’s kids.”
The New Orleans native and her Haitian husband Neek Bey have had to mentally prepare their family for the harsh judgment that comes with being public figures. While both parents are both brown-skinned, their two daughters came out on the lighter end of the spectrum.
The negative comments the Bey family has received about their daughter’s fair complexions is what inspired her new book.
“What inspired me was my children, my children, they came in all shades,” Charmine told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“My husband and I are well, I’m a little lighter than my husband. My husband’s Haitian, but my children came out fair skin with light-colored eyes. My oldest daughter has, like, red hair. So it’s very confusing, to say the least, not only for my husband and I but for the entire world.”
As a result, Charmaine and her family have been on the receiving end of shady remarks and accusations from online trolls and her own followers.
“People were just so confused about the color of my children’s skin, the color of their eyes, the color their hair,” she explained. “They were making all kinds of comments and even, you know, ‘is that the daddy’ type of thing.”
However, the diversity within the shades of Blackness is a common trait considering the Even gene research shows Black women possess. Charmaine explained this while touching on the range of brown-skin beauty in the Bey family.
“Nubians come in all shades. And black women can produce Nubians that look like all walks of life,” Charmine said.
“It’s called the Eve Gene. If you all don’t know about it, look it up. It’s called the Eve gene, and we don’t have to give an explanation on why we look the way we do.”
When it comes to issues of colorism in the Black community, Charmaine admits it stems from a lack of awareness, education, and deep-rooted racism. Issues of colorism are so alive and prevalent in today’s society, Charmaine reveals how it even played a major role in her untimely exit from “Black Ink Crew: Chicago”.
Press play below for the full interview and be sure to snag a copy of Charmaine’s first children’s book “Nubians Comes in All Shades.”