An innocent photo of friends over the holidays has sparked debate among people on social media.
The photo is of actor Lance Gross, his wife, Rebecca, and their friends while on vacation together this month. Everyone in the image is paired up except for one woman who is sitting off to the side alone.
People on social media instantly seized on the fact that she is not just the only one alone, but she is also of darker complexion than most in the photo. The look on her face didn’t help the controversy much, as she looks like she is having some feelings about what is happening.
One commenter went so far as to say, “This picture says whte supremacy has won the self hate is deep.”
Another stated, “Should I have an issue that all the ‘wives’ are light-skinned or that the one brown skin sister doesn’t have a mate or is not in a ‘couple’! What the hell is going on here?”
Some defended the picture, with one person saying “This is a nice couples picture. The fact that all y’all can see is skin tone is appalling.”
One of the people defending the photo is the woman sitting off to the side. She stated that she does have a boyfriend but he couldn’t make it on the trip.
“ALL OF US in this photo are beautiful Black people” she said. “NEWSFLASH: Black people come in ALL shades!! And just so everyone can RELAX, the photo is a annual tradition – ITS A JOKE! I’m dating someone special, but he didn’t come to Big Bear this year. I take a pic like this EVERY YEAR making fun of the fact that I’m the only single one in the couples pic. Calm down people! Go enjoy your family, and stop worrying about OURS!!”
Gross shared this year’s photo along with ones taken in 2014 and 2015. All of them show the woman by herself. Turns out this really is an inside joke among friends.