Skai Jackson On Azealia Banks: ‘I Just Feel Like What She’s Doing Is Not OK’

The Internet was set on fire this week with the explosive Twitter squabble Azealia Banks and Skai Jackson engaged in. After Skai held her own, and got cosigns from the masses, her mother had a few choice words of her own for Banks in defense of her 14 year-old daughter.

After the war of words, Skai recently chatted with The Huffington Post about what it means to be a child star, the bullying that comes with it, and how she was always taught to stand up for herself.

Initially, you may recall Skai as being the face of a popular meme, which was on Instagram feeds and Twitter timelines everywhere. At first, it didn’t quite register with her why she was chosen as meme-worthy, yet she found it amusing.

“When I first saw the meme, I honestly didn’t understand why people were making memes of me. I was like ‘What’s so funny about this?,’” she said. “’There’s so many memes going on.’ Then I was going through them and they’re actually really funny. I don’t know who created these but they actually did a pretty good job because it makes me laugh and I took no offense to it and that’s why I posted it on my Instagram and Twitter. It’s just really funny, and I have a good sense of humor.”

But things stopped being fun and games once her fight with Banks took flight. Still, she credits her mom for teaching her to never let anyone disrespect her.

“My mom has definitely influenced my confidence, because when I was younger in public school, I would always get bullied for little things like being the shortest in my class, being smallest, just really stupid things,” she continued. “And my mom would always tell me, ‘if someone bullies you, don’t just sit there and let them bully you. Do something about it or tell someone about it.’ So I have always taken that on, what my mother said. And I kinda used that with the whole Azealia thing that just happened. I mean, she is a bully, she is an Internet troll.”

In the end of it all, Skai just wants to perpetuate positivity and high self-esteem among young women everywhere. She advises not to preoccupy yourself with others in matters of opinion. “Try not to worry about it as much because, like I said, no one’s gonna like everything you do… just stay confident and know that what they are saying is not true,” she said. “That’s their opinion, they can talk all about you, but at the end of the day, you’re a beautiful person and you don’t need to meet anyone else’s standards. Just live for you.”