Duma left cold by 'body shaming' meme

Actress and TV personality Ntando Duma is the latest celebrity to be "body shamed" by a meme online.

Social media users grabbed a picture of Duma and compared her to the aliens in the blockbuster Men In Black films.

The image has since gone viral.

Duma said while she understood the "entertainment aspect" of the parody, she would never allow herself to be affected by other people's judgment of her .

"I've learnt that not everyone will like you, and no matter what you do they will always have something to say or someone will try to take you down," Duma said.

The actress said she had developed a thick skin and had a good sense of humour when it came to her appearance.

"This is one of those things that I've gotten used to. No matter what happens we know it's going to happen. I never have and never will allow people to try to belittle me because of what I do," she explained.

Duma went on to explain that she had learnt not to take things too seriously, no matter the situation. "Everything that I do I do for myself, and if you're not impressed that's absolutely fine as long as I am happy."

Duma is not the first high-profile celebrity to be mocked by social media trolls.

Radio and TV personality Unathi Msengana has been targeted by trolls on a regular basis in the past.

Msengana was recently ridiculed for not wearing make-up.

Trolls compared a picture of the radio host wearing make-up to one without.

Not one to mince her words, Msengana expressed anger over the meme.

"How do we respect you South Africa when you do this," she said at the time.

While most memes are viewed as entertaining and funny, the impact can be different.

Counselling psychologist Debbie Bright said: "Body shaming memes are as damaging as any racist, sexist or homophobic stereotyping."

Bright said social media played a definite role in "alienating" people from each other.

"With modern technology and social media, we become more and more alienated from each other and more anonymous behind handles," she said.