All About Laughs
Could reality star Erica Mena be the face behind a company that’s claiming to be a Black-owned business? According to an Instagram user, that seems to be the case.
A former cast member in the Love and Hip Hop franchise, Mena is being accused of running a business under the “Black-owned” guise. An Instagram user shared their experience shopping with a small boutique shop “Crowned Lady”, whose Instagram bio describes them as a company “designed to be the most exclusive fashion platform for all women to purchase the most unique accessories.”
Once users click on the shop’s website, it is purported to be “proudly black-owned and created to give women the crown that they deserve as the queens of the world.” When the Instagram user made a purchase on their website, they noticed the name “Mena Millions” pop up on the receipt, seemingly attached to Erica Mena.
Attempting to dig deeper and find more information, the unidentified user then directly messages the company’s Instagram page to further inquire who the owner’s CEO is. Screenshots show a tense conversation between the two as the person running the “Crowned Lady” account defends their stance of being a Black-owned business, but declines to divulge any further.
The user then insinuates that the owner’s true identity is that of Mena, who is Latina, to which the “Crowned Lady” account vehemently denies. “Erica Mena has nothing to do with the owner,” the person says. They then insist that she is only used to help advertise saying, “Erica Mena is paid to promote us.”
The company’s refusal to give solid information on if the business is truly Black-owned initiated the Instagram user to threaten to have their followers report the company to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Popular blog The Neighborhood Talk reported the confrontation on their Instagram page, urging Erica Mena to offer a comment under their post. “So we going after people for being investors and [business] advisors in my friends and families business?! Because wake up call I always go all [out] for mine,” She explains, “I don’t give [an F] what you bloggers and trolls got to say about it. Half of you struggle because the Internet is all you have.”
Social media model and influencer Jessenia asks in the same comment section why it wasn’t listed as Latino-owned. “Was that not an option?” she asks. Mena, who caught wind of her question, offered a direct response to Jessenia with some questions of her own. “Why not contact me directly since you so concerned,” she writes. “Is being a gullible troll your option?”
Taking to Twitter, Mena cryptically addresses the attention brought to her from the Instagram user. “Blogging about me to put me on ‘Blast’ only brings in revenue,” Mena stated. “The irony of it is you don’t want the negative attention but the fruits of the labor are absolutely pleasant.”Blogging about me to put me on “ Blast” only brings in revenue. The irony of it is you don’t want the negative attention but the fruits of the labor are absolutely pleasant.
— Erica Mena (@iamErica_Mena) March 16, 2021
Erica Mena has also been in the headlines lately in what seems like trouble in her marriage to husband Safaree Samuels.
