TV and radio personality LootLove has jumped to the defence of Miss SA after a social media user criticised her physical appearance, saying she looked “like a boy”.  

Zozibini Tunzi is representing SA at the Miss Universe 2019 competition, set to take place on December 9 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Addressing the critic, LootLove explained that there are different kinds of beauty and hoped that one day people will learn and understand that.  

“To you, looking like a boy is an insult, to her: she broke barriers with that same look,” said LootLove.

She added that the criticism Zozibini gets is fuelling her to soar higher.

This is not the first time Zozibini's looks have sparked debate on social media.

After winning her title in August, she addressed trolls who left negative comments about her blackness and her hair.

In a frank and powerful Instagram post dedicated to brown-skinned girls, Zozibini said “unkind comments” about “blackness” were nothing new for women of colour.

She said society had been programmed to view anything that is not black as beautiful and the furthest “you are from being fair-skinned the uglier you are”. 

“This universal standard of beauty has been an uphill battle for people to unlearn.” 

Zozibini hopes that, at the Miss Universe pageant, she'll be able to break the “misconception and stereotypes people have of beauty”. 

“These comments are exactly why we should keep inserting ourselves in spaces where we have been told we do not belong and we will never make it. It is up to us rewrite the narrative.

“To whoever else thinks that black is not beautiful, I cannot wait for you to experience the depth and magic of a black woman.”

Reactions

LootLove's kind words saw many flooding her comments section in agreement.

Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions.