JANET STREET-PORTER: Is it REALLY racist to wonder what color a child might be? After Scobie’s ridiculous claims, Beyonce has now become a victim of the hate mob – but why can’t we judge people by their talent, not their skin?

Is nothing sacred? Nit picking fans have had the audacity to complain that Beyonce is disrespecting her culture by making herself white at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film Renaissance.

Skin color is the hot topic this week. As Omid Scobie tries to stoke interest in his lackluster book Endgame by claiming that not one but two members of the royal family asked Harry and Meghan what color Archie’s skin might be, a similar row has broken out involving the Queen whether Pop is involved.

Last Saturday, Beyonce was photographed on the red carpet in Beverly Hills wearing a shiny silver figure-hugging Versace dress, blonde wig, matching pale makeup and elbow-length silver gloves.

The effect was stunning: utterly glamorous, a powerful image of a strong, unapologetic woman at the top of her game. The creator of the gown, Donatella Versace, said: ‘You are unique… a vision… one of one’.

Beyonce turned her Renaissance world tour into an expression of feminine power and strength with amazingly extravagant couture costumes, headdresses and wigs. She has a stage presence that exudes confidence and pride in her heritage. She doesn’t try to pretend she has a different shape. She owns her brand. It’s showmanship of the highest order.

The effect was stunning: utterly glamorous, a powerful image of a strong, unapologetic woman at the top of her game. The creator of the gown, Donatella Versace, said: ‘You are unique… a vision… one of one’

The controversial silver suit is said to have been as carefully considered as a political manifesto. Nothing is left to chance for the Beyonce brand, she is a marketing genius, an icon and a source of inspiration for girls of all colors and backgrounds. But in the modern world, no matter what skin color you are – by birth or through the use of make-up – you are likely to offend someone if you dare to dress up.

Soon, social media was full of complaints that the singer had somehow betrayed her heritage, lightened her skin and “wanted to be white.” Even worse, was she a black version of Elsa from Disney’s Frozen?

The star’s mother, Tina Knowles, a fashion designer, doesn’t normally get involved in her daughter’s career. Furious, she came to Bee’s defense, claiming the critics were “racist” and perpetuated “sexist double standards.” Tina explained that her daughter’s look was chosen to reflect the theme of the premiere (which was silver) with a silver carpet and matching dress code.

The Renaissance world tour film is expected to make millions, and Beyoncé won’t have to worry about any concerns about her dress and wig affecting her popularity or her bank balance. But this obsession with what constitutes an ‘acceptable’ color – whether black, white, brown or yellow – is ridiculous.

Meghan is mixed race, and yet she defines herself as black because her mother is black. That is her prerogative. Harry is white, and so is little Archie. But is it necessarily racist to wonder what color a child might be? Having lived for five years with someone whose parents were from the Caribbean, I can assure you that black families talk about skin color just like everyone else. It’s just normal curiosity, but now the topic has been hijacked and appropriated by the culture war warriors.

Cultural appropriation is a term used to denigrate anyone (usually white) who has the audacity to adopt the clothing or hairstyles of another culture. It is assumed that the person doing this was stupid or has malicious intentions. That is both patronizing and wrong.

But isn’t it strange that a black woman, Beyonce, is now being thrown out for daring to color her skin silver for a publicity appearance? As for wearing a blonde wig – there are countless examples of black stars, such as jazz singer Etta James, for example – who used blonde wigs to add a certain glamor to their appearance. And Michael Jackson used white makeup to hide his skin condition.

Does this pathetic critique of a smart black icon – Beyonce – mark a new low in the cultural appropriation war? Are black women no longer allowed to wear pale makeup or blonde hairpieces? Honestly, could it get any more ridiculous? This week, Marks and Spencer came under attack for launching a fried rice ball containing chorizo, a crazy version of paella in bite-sized chunks. Chefs were quick to complain that one of their national dishes, rice aracini, had been bastardized and that the paella balls were an insult to their culture.

Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles, 69, angrily lashed out at online critics who accused her daughter of lightening her skin in an Instagram video posted on Tuesday

Knowles responded after some social media commentators complained that the 42-year-old superstar appeared to have lighter skin at the premiere of the Renaissance concert film

A commenter on an earlier video featuring an image of Beyoncé at the premiere joked that she was “TransRacial,” while another person said she now looked like Kim Kardashian.

This week in the jungle, Nigel Farage told Fred that singing with a Jamaican accent would earn him criticism for cultural appropriation. Watching him explain the term to Nella was an exercise in non-communication.

When Nigel pointed out that it is difficult to wear fancy dress nowadays, Nella thought that dressing up as a Mexican would be offensive to their culture. Which showed that we live in dangerous times, where offense is easily offended and a generation of young people seem to be getting upset about issues that never seemed problematic before.

Harry once dressed up as a Nazi but has since apologized. I once had a friend dress up as a cactus for a fancy dress party – was that offensive to prickly plants? I’m not sure.

Our preoccupation with skin color above all else is symptomatic of a time when so much is judged on outward appearances, when social media is used to present a completely enhanced and false version of what we really look like. With the push of a button I can appear dead white or deeply tanned in my selfies. I can get rid of my double chin and smooth out my wrinkles.

Reflecting all skin colors in our society is the best way to sell anything in 2023. Television advertising has completely changed in the last decade and there has never been an all-white family. To look at these ads for all our major brands, you would think what a wonderfully integrated, homogenous society we live in. If only that were the case.

I like to think that talent wins everything and that skin color doesn’t matter. That’s how I hired people and that’s how I judge people now. Expecting a talent like Beyonce to conform to a bleak “black” stereotype is ridiculous. She can ‘be’ whoever she wants.