Don’t you just love black love? Most of us do anyway, as Nicole and Brandon Wylie found out not long ago on their six-year wedding anniversary. That day, Brandon changed his Facebook background image to one of he and his wife, Nicole, on their wedding day and thought nothing of it, but soon the couple was flooded with “likes” and messages related to the gorgeous image above. It didn’t take long for the photo to go viral, and as is the case with anything on the web, the virility of the pic brought out the best in most people and the worst in some others.
Black and Married with Kids got a chance to chat with the beautiful couple about their newfound inspirational fame as well as some of the insensitive reactions they received related to Nicole’s vitiligo. Thankfully, the pair is taking it all in stride. Check out their hilarious account of what it feels like to “go viral” and how they cope with superficial negativity related to their relationship.
BMWK: First, I want to thank you both for sharing your story. We were excited to hear from Nicole. Can you share with us what happened when you posted the wedding picture on Facebook recently? Nicole, you posted it right?
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Nicole: Well, Actually, both of us posted it. What do you mean no, no, no? (talking to Brandon in the background) It was our anniversary.
Brandon: (in the background): Let me take the phone.
So, we were at dinner celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary and I was looking across the table over a bucket of crab legs just gazing into her eyes and I thought to myself, let me update my Facebook page with a picture of my boo. I said alright I’ll change my background picture. When I did that, didn’t think anything of it. That’s all I did and I showed it to her and said remember this? And she goes “ahhh” while she’s cracking the crab legs and the juice hit me in the eye. So I started crying cause the crab juice hit me in the eye.
Nicole: Stop it! (laughs)
Brandon: By the time we got home that evening we literally had about 700 likes. I said what is going on. She doesn’t know 700 people.
Nicole: Whatever.
Brandon: I’m like babe this thing is growing. Then it’s like over 1.4k. I’m like what! Before that night was over, the first night, the picture on my page got to about 3,000 likes, the first night. The first 6 hours of the posting.
BMWK: And it was just posted on your personal Facebook page?
Brandon: It was originally only posted on my personal Facebook page. I don’t know if there are any internet cookies associated with that background page that you post. Or if because it’s in the timeline. Maybe it was coincidence that if one person liked it and then liked by a person who made it go viral, either intentionally or unintentionally.
BMWK: What was your initial reaction?
Nicole: At first I thought, that’s cool that so many would like my picture. Then once you start reading, the sensitive side was like oh that’s mean. But after a while, I just kind of accepted it. Because I received personal emails from people. One of them from a young lady who actually has Vitiligo and she was basically telling me I was an inspiration because she’s younger, she’s 18. She thought she was doomed to never get married and no one was ever going to love her or like her because of the way she looked. That touched me, because she’s telling me I’m an inspiration to her to let her know she doesn’t have to hide from being who she is and she hopes she can find love, because I found love. That right there was a blessing. If it only touched one person…
BMWK: Then it was worth it.
Nicole: Exactly.
Brandon: There was one young lady who looked like she was in her early 20s she went to my personal page and copied a different picture, and copied 4 pictures and made a picture collage on her page. She wrote a comment on her page, this is real love and hopefully I’ll find real love like this one day. It touched her family members. They commented “we love you, you’re loved, you’ll be happy”. She was encouraged, but it touched the family members who may have felt like they weren’t showing her love. It was ironic, she opened up through us and got a message to her family.
BMWK: Had you two not had pictures of you together on your Facebook page before?
Brandon: Yeah, that picture is reposted every year and we have a lot of family photos.
Nicole: When I was getting married, my skin was at it’s whitest. I’m not as white as I was then.
Brandon: No where near it.
Nicole: No where near. My Vitiligo was really bad when I was getting married. I mean, I look like I have Vitiligo everyday, but my face is more brown now. It’s noticeable, but not as out there as it was when I was getting married. Maybe that’s the reason. I have no idea what triggered it to go how it went. It was nothing extra about the picture.
BMWK: Why do you feel it was important to share your story?
Nicole: I feel that, first off I have Vitiligo, it’s not contagious. There’s nothing that’s awful. My husband actually loves me. He didn’t marry me cause I was different or cause…
Brandon: Her father had paper though.
(all laugh)
Nicole: Whatever. We had comments like she must be rich. Or he didn’t want to bring home a black woman to his mom. So she’s turning white, so now it’s okay.
Brandon: There was also a brother who said I had the best of both worlds.
BMWK: Are you serious? These were adults right?
Nicole: Yes.
Brandon: Early on I thought I had the best of both worlds. Just playing babe. Tiya, I just got a stare down.
BMWK: Be careful now. So, you wanted to share your story so people can know you have it, it’s not contagious…
Nicole: There’s nothing wrong with me. If I can bless someone else to know that you can find love. You are still a person and capable of love. If you have Vitiligo or any other skin pigmentation or anything wrong with you. It does not make you unable to find love.
BMWK: Why do you think people were so curious or reacted the way they did?
Nicole: Anything that’s different makes a stir up. When people don’t know they’re curious. Most people who have Vitiligo cover themselves up with Dermablend or other makeup. I choose not to. I’ve had Vitiligo since I was 5 years old. I have great parents who I contribute that to. They taught me, I’m not my skin, I’m Nicole. My skin doesn’t define who I am. They’ve always been great.
See the rest of the couple’s Q&A on BlackandMarriedWithKids.com. What do you think about their photo going viral?
