When you have 3.3 million TikTok followers like Nara Aziza Smith, expect more than a few haters sprinkled within.
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Smith’s cooking-centric content is innocuous, PG-rated, hate-free and ASMR-friendly. But that doesn’t stop her from catching a healthy amount of backlash. Do people just strongly dislike the zest of zaatar on their carrots? Are they offended by the idea of multiple proteins being meal prepped? Do they strongly prefer their lemon donuts unglazed?
First, a primer: Smith is 22, born in South Africa to a South-African mom and German dad. She grew up in Germany and moved to California at 18. She was scouted by a modeling agent at 14, through which she met the white German actor and model, Lucky Blue Smith. They dated for six months before getting married and they currently have two kids – Rumble Honey and Slim Easy (She’s stepmother to Lucky’s older child) – with one on the way. She loves a routine, a good read and to tickle the piano keys.
However, Smith seems to be in a damned-if-she-does, damned-if-she-doesn’t influencer situation, in which she catches hate for producing the opposite of the content over which many Black woman influencers catch it.
First, she gets a lot of static for being a trad-wife (a woman who takes to traditional gender roles): Much of her content centers around cooking dishes from scratch for her husband and children. As Smith is a member of a generation hell-bent on moving away from traditional gender roles, many feel as if she’s “holding women back” with an unrealistic portrayal of maternal life.
Considering also that Smith is a very attractive Black women with a very attractive white dude, she’s catching shots from white feminists and some Black folks.
“My toddler asked to go to bed so I started building him a bed plucking a chicken for his pillow,” said one commenter. “OK but who’s watching the kids?” questioned another. Others poke fun in a comical way, like @ayesebastien, who spoofed Smith making a single pop tart filled with strawberries picked from the garden of Eden in just 10 to 12 hours.
There’s also Smith’s Mormon faith, which, despite her making a point of downplaying, is heavily scrutinized anyway. Because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a deeply racist background, Smith’s haters have questioned her commitment to her own Blackness. Some of those same people cherry-pick Smith’s (subjectively) immodest clothing to call her out as a bad Mormon – though TikTok user @alyssadgrenfell suggested the clothing standards of a lot of “Mormon influencers” shouldn’t have to focus on modesty. And some are floating conspiracy theories about Smith contributing to Mormon propaganda on TikTok.
Smith can’t seem to catch a break: One woman on Tik Tok unfollowed her because she couldn’t bear the chewing sounds and glossy lips in Nara’s midnight snack video. A 15-second video satirizing her signature solo Superman curl has been liked more than 265,000 times.
Though Smith is clearly polarizing, people need to consider what’s so triggering and offensive about her and do some self-reflection. If she’s a happy young mom and wife making homemade bagels and cream cheese before sunrise, why can’t we be happy for her even if we don’t agree with her choices? But for all Smith’s haters, there are tons of people on the other side who admire her and readily come to her defense — perhaps inspired by her cooking prowess, lip gloss and lifestyle; or are soothed by her ASMR voice.
For me, I just can’t stop thinking about those homemade Cheez-Its.
Straight From 
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