Victoria Kimani: How I dealt with viral trolling from Churchill Show appearance
Her fashion style can be described as bold and fashion forward. She would never miss a chance to look good and continues to be inspired by her surroundings when deciding what statements to make with her fashion choices.
Inspired by her mother’s fashion style and the cultures of America, Nigeria and Kenya in which she has lived, sensational musician Victoria Kimani has never shied away from rocking ensembles that exude her sense of fun, boldness and individuality. Her looks have made headlines wherever her music career has taken her and she has been celebrated for it.
But not every applause for her looks has been in good faith. Others were for trolling her.
Speaking to Nairobi News on Tuesday, 28 May 2024, Ms Kimani revealed an instance when she appeared on a local comedy show with a bold fashion sense and a section of Kenyans had a field day trolling her on social media.
“When I moved back in 2013, I did my first Churchill interview and I had red hair, tight leather pants, a leather jacket with studs and yellow shoes. I remember being trolled. It was like 10,000 tweets from Kenyans dragging me for what I was wearing for that interview and also for wearing makeup and for wearing so much of it. I used to be a make-up artist, so for me, even to go to work, I had to have five pieces of make-up on, especially when I’m doing an interview. So when I got that backlash. I just thought it was funny. I laughed and thought it was funny because one of them said I’m half Nigerian, half make-up and I was like what does that even mean? The disses were so funny and I knew it was just a matter of them catching on…” began Ms Kimani.
She went on to reveal that she is unapologetic about her fashion style because of her upbringing and how she felt that no one could tell her anything about her fashion when she was growing up. So how unapologetic would she feel as an adult?
“What happened is that because I was so associated with make-up and cosmetics and beauty, I became the Maybelline New York ambassador for East Africa. And because it became part of my identity, it opened up business opportunities for me. But outside of that, I don’t know. For me, when it comes to fashion, it doesn’t really affect me as much as it might for music, because you really want people to enjoy your music, but I don’t really care what a lot of people think about my fashion choices. That’s really the truth. That’s how I’ve dealt with it (the trolling) and at the same time being myself has opened up opportunities for me and spaces for me to exist in for people like me and things and brands that fit my attributes. If anything, it opened doors for me. And now everybody’s doing it, wearing make-up is very normal now,” Ms Kimani concluded.