Staff Reporters
Jun 2, 2020

Malaysian influencer draws ire for racist Instagram comments

Former beauty queen Samantha Katie James becomes a national laughingstock as her ignorant comments around the #BlackLivesMatter movement make the rounds.

Source: instagram.com/samanthakayty
Source: instagram.com/samanthakayty

As protestors spill onto the streets in Minneapolis and other American cities to protest the killing of George Floyd and police brutality, the cause has gained support across the globe. In Malaysia, many have jumped on social media to voice support, and the #BlackLivesMatter movement has also helped to shed light on targeted attacks in the country's own backyard.

But Samantha Katie James, popular influencer and Malaysia's 2017 representative for Miss Universe, went a different path.

On Monday, she took to Instagram to say that Malaysians shouldn't be "busy bodies" in a matter that was clearly American. She went on to say some other deeply troubling things, which we won't repeat in writing.

Sign up for our FREE weekly PRWeek Asia bulletin. Register here.

James is of Malaysian Chinese-Brazilian heritage, and based on her comments, she identifies as white. She has over 160,000 thousand followers on Instagram and has partnered with many cosmetic and fashion brands.

Malaysians have called for the pageant to strip her off her title. Despite repeated calls from the public to take down her posts, James' posts are still up on her account at time of publish. She has responded to some of the backlash through her Stories feature and stands by her comments.

Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation has published a statement in response. An excerpt of the statement reads:

We note that these posts are inappropriate, offensive, unacceptable, and hurtful. The views expressed on Samantha's personal Instagram account are her own personal views and are neither the view nor position of MUMO. Samantha is not contracted to MUMO and has not represented the organisation since 2018.

Source:
PRWeek

Related Articles

Just Published

16 hours ago

Budgets 2025: Retail media and CTV will dominate ...

The industry is poised for significant growth in 2025, fuelled by robust digital revenues and shifting consumer behaviours that could see budgets moving to social platforms and retail networks over traditional channels. Media experts weigh in.

16 hours ago

McDonald's Valentine's campaign may make you ...

Ad Nut refuses to be manipulated by commercials, but this V-Day spot from McDonald's Philippines, with its saccharine portrayal of enduring love, is surprisingly effective. Curse you, Golden Arches!

17 hours ago

The boys’ club still runs Australian advertising—and...

Déjà vu and disappointment: W+K Sydney's all-male team exposes the hollow promises of diversity in adland, writes Jet Swain, who calls for an end to "lip service."

17 hours ago

Samsung says there’s an AI companion for every ...

With the global launch of its Galaxy S25, Samsung and BBH Singapore want consumers to think about AI not as an intimidating piece of technology but as an omniscient wingman.