Sofia Richie during New York Fashion Week on Feb. 11, 2016

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Lionel Richie's daughter Sofia has made a name for herself in the fashion industry, but that doesn't mean she isn't subjected to everyday racism. Especially when people forget that she's actually black.


“I’m very light, so some people don’t really know that I’m black,” Sofia Richie, 18, said in an interview with Complex. “I’ve been in situations where people will say something kind of racist, and I’ll step in and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, well, you’re light.’”

And it's those statements that might cause her to go off.

“‘That still doesn’t cut it, buddy,’” she responded. “‘It’s 2016—you better get your [s—t] together before you get slapped out here.’”


As the daughter of a famous singer, Richie realizes that all eyes are on her, but she said her faith in God keeps her grounded, especially when it comes to relationships.

“One of the key factors of life is love, and the key factor of God is love, so having that understanding is really important in a relationship,” she explained. “Having someone that genuinely respects you and understands your life and is open to hearing about your life is really cool. Having someone to just open up to and talk to when [s—t] is bad and when [s—t] is great.”

Richie also went on to discuss her possible music career but said she doesn't want to use her father's name as a crutch.

“I wanted to have a music career for a long time. Music is my life, and it speaks to me—Rihanna, a lot of Frank Ocean, I love Shawn Mendes!” she said. “I just want to have my own direction and be free with it. I don’t want anyone to have a hold on me because of my dad.”