“I don’t date black guys!! I’ve only had bad experiences with black men”

Hol’up!! Come again??

“As opposed to growing up and my personal experience, sub-consciously I’m affected so I’m not inclined to dating a black man. If had to date a black guy just know there is something really special about him”

You might ask yourself who is this Pearl Thusi who doesn’t date black guys right??

“Google me b*tch!!” explains the beauty with a laugh.

Pearl Thusi is an actress, model, presenter, radio personality and mom. Yes, throughout her hectic busy schedule Pearl Thusi is also a mom to a very beautiful daughter. She doesn’t like boxing herself with regards to what she does and would rather call herself an all round entertainer. With that being said, it’s clear that she has more important priorities than being in a relationship at this present moment.

Speaking of relationships, Pearl Thusi explains why she doesn’t date black men and why she feels that way about black men.

“Watching the people I have dated, I just don’t have much faith in black men. I can be there to support him and uplift the black man but I think he is damaged he needs to go fix himself, there is nothing wrong with anything else and until he decides to change himself I’m not changing my mind”.

Her personal experience with black men has really affected how she perceives them. It’s not that other races are better, which is why she does go on to say that, “White guys also have issues and coloured guys too, but my direct issues have been with black guys”.

Still on the relationship topic, not so long ago rumours of her dating rapper Da LES popped up. When I asked her if that was true, her reaction was priceless.

“LES and I? Dating? Haha, oh sh*t!! I haven’t seen LES in like 2 months now. LES is my boy, I’ll tweet about his music, go watch him perform and stuff. Just like my other rapper friends Khuli, AKA and whoever, I do tweet their songs, watch their performances too”. She continues – “LES and I have agreed to having lunch but until today we haven’t been able too. He’s just my boy, you know how people are”.

With the topic of relationships out of the way, Pearl takes a break – nibbles on her salad from The Smoke House Grill in Braam and I take notes, while the camera clicks away.

Pearl talks about working closely with popular radio jock Phat Joe, she says “Phat Joe is an amazing mentor to me in the industry, he’s offered me a lot of advice which has helped me kinda like keep me in one piece”.

From her being acting on popular drama series Zone 14, , to presenting South Africa’s biggest music show LIVE Amp, co-hosting the Phat Joe Show on Metro FM, to her modelling for big time brands and designers, you would assume that she gets all these gigs come easy. It’s not as easy as many aspiring entertainers might think it is. Pearl explains the challenges she and many others face in the media industry, “They would say you’re not the right cappuccino, you’re not dark enough, your lips are too thick or they are too thin, it could be anything.”

These are common problems that one would face in the industry she is in hence Pearl usually pays no mind to all that. “It’s part of life, its part of the industry. You will lose work or not receive work because of something as simple as the colour of your skin”, says the ‘yellow bone’.

Pearl sounds really chilled about it all and takes it all in her stride and remains positive about who she is. She shares some advice for upcoming entertainers, “Competition is hectic out there you must learn to accept who you are. Try to remain grounded and don’t try to portray other people, rather stay true to yourself.”

She didn’t stop there, she went to highlight the other obstacles she faced due to her having a child at an early age, “I would be told that ‘No you don’t fit the part because you have a child at an early age’, or that their brand doesn’t cater for moms but I still pushed. I wasn’t ashamed of having my daughter, she is my sunshine and the reason why I wake up in the morning and do what I do”.

Pearl Thusi is an example of how perseverance pays off- having a baby at an early age does not necessarily mean you can’t follow your dreams. She keeps the relationship with her daughter very discreet and is always finding ways to brush off the topic of her daughter. “I don’t think people should know much about my daughter, I always try keeping my private life private a lot of the times”, said Pearl.

Besides her gracing our television screens Pearl also has a modelling agency Ayana Africa, which she co-owns with comedian David Kau and best friend Nzinga Qunta.

The agency doesn’t only focus on models but also grooms young girls with the necessary skills needed in the industry, like managing finances, looking out for themselves in terms of health and other valuable skills.

This shows she is more than just a pretty face, her work speaks for her and proves how hard she is pushing to be on the platforms that she is on.

With May being Mother’s month Pearl Thusi is one super-mom who does deserve to be pampered at a time like this for all the hard work she does.

Words: @Thy_Black_Hippy

Photography: @Ric3hard