Kenyan comedian Crazy Kennar has become a rather unsavoury international topic after his viral ‘Side Chic vs Main Chic’ skit rubbed Americans the wrong way.
Kennar, who is one of Kenya’s most widely-recognised content creators, attempted to comically depict the various ways the official woman in a relationship reacts to her husband’s overtures versus how the man’s secret lover (side chic) conducts herself.
The video opens up the comedian’s frequent collaborator Bushra Sakshi pampering her man (Stanley Omondi) with little romantic niceties while contrasting with Crazy Kennar’s female character rebuffing her man’s various attempts to initiate romance.
A lot is going on-the side chic’s sensual dancing, wine treats, pillow fights, and breakfast in bed.
On his part, Kennar’s main chic character is full of fights, morning arguments, below-the-chin blows, yells, tacky dances and rough tackles.
Context is so important. Because Americans are seeing this as colorism while we know Kennar is just using the same people he uses in all his content. https://t.co/twSlo6lxM7
— Willy Monka (@MonyqueXO) September 21, 2022
While the skit has become widely popular online, some Americans have taken issue with the depictions in the video which present the ‘Side Chic’ as a pretty, light-skinned woman and the ‘Main Chic’ as a rough, unkempt dark-skinned woman.
After the video was shared by popular black American Twitter account Daily Loud, Americans took issue with how Crazy Kennar chose to tag into colourism stereotypes which tend to beautify the side woman as a glorified, light-skinned woman and demonise the main woman as an angry, dark-skinned lady.
Colourism is a major issue in the Black American community (and Hollywood as a whole) with many pontificators pointing out the favouritism that lighter-skinned actresses tend to receive and the little gigs people with darker skin get.
However, context is very critical in this case, Kennar has a team he has worked with for years on practically all his content. Picking one video in isolation and accusing the brilliant comedian of colourism is absurd.
The young man has a penchant for self-deprecation and watching his many videos will give context on why he decided to be the “wife” and not the side chic.
Many Kenyan women have rallied behind Kennar telling off the offended masses to put down their pitchforks, understand his comedy and laugh a little.
We are not blind to the issue of colourism and the effects it has on young people but this is not the same issue.
Women like Keke Palmer, Zendaya, Zoe Saldana, Skai Jackson and Yara Shahidi have, more often than not, been dragged through the colourism debate.
For instance, in 2016, Afro-Latinx actress Zoe Saldana created a storm of controversy for her portrayal of Nina Simone, a renowned singer and activist. Instead of casting a dark-skinned actress, producers chose to cast a lighter one and altered her to look like Nina.
side chick vs. main chick 🤣 pic.twitter.com/87QCn4M9Fk
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) September 20, 2022
While Kenya, a pure African country, has no colourism issue, the Black American community certainly does and the comments left under the Crazy Kennar video reflect a lot of that.
The debate has, as you may expect, shaken up Twitter with many unbothered Kenyans asking people to relax and enjoy a good skit.