Naomie Pilula: The Zambian Human Rights defender facing online bullying
Naomie Pilula, a 37-year-old lawyer based in Lusaka, Zambia, first caught global attention on June 23, 2025, when she posted a simple selfie on Instagram.
What seemed like an ordinary post soon exploded into a viral sensation, attracting over half a million comments.
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Instead of praise, the photo drew waves of criticism, with thousands of users mocking her appearance, particularly her nose, and questioning her beauty. Some even went as far as suggesting she should undergo cosmetic surgery, while others cast doubt on whether she was even a real person.
She refused to take down her post despite the intense trolling. While she admitted the insults initially stung, she quickly found her footing and chose to confront the criticism with courage. Speaking later about the experience, she said that the episode forced her to reflect on her own healing journey.
Pilula shared that she reframed the incident as a chance to embrace her identity more fully. She cited scripture as her anchor, reminding herself that she was created with intention and that beauty is not defined by the harsh standards of strangers on the internet.
In the weeks that followed, her Instagram following, which had barely crossed 4,000 in April, skyrocketed to tens of thousands by late August. She has so far amassed over 90,000 followers on Instagram and has been the talk of the internet for weeks.
Pilula speaks about her nose
Speaking to People in late August 2025, Pilula revealed that she was particularly teased about her nose growing up.
Furthermore, she revealed that through her late teens and early 20s, she came to appreciate her physical features, and after a while, they were no longer a thought in her mind.
“I do know that one of the most controversial features that I have, which is what blew up the internet, was my nose. It’s my father’s nose. Why would I want to remove a feature that identifies me with my father? It doesn’t make sense,” she told People.
“I won’t say that there was that one day where I woke up and I looked in the mirror and said, ‘Yes,’ but there was just one point where you looked at yourself and said, ‘I like the way I look. And that was me. And once I arrived at that point, no one can take that away because they didn’t give it to me,” she added.
Who is Pilula?
She is the current acting legal services manager at the Pensions and Insurance Authority (PIA) in Zambia, a position she has held since August 2024. Prior to that, she served as the legal officer at the same organisation for five years.
She has also worked as the legal officer at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, a position she held for two years and eight months (March 2018-October 2020).
Before this, she worked as a learner legal practitioner at the Zambia Attorney General’s Chambers for ten months (November 2016-August 2017).
Educational background
She holds a bachelor’s degree in BCom and Laws (LLB) from the University of Queensland, a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Law from the University of Auckland, a certificate in Industrial Economics, Financial Accounting and Investment Appraisal from the University of Lusaka, and a certificate in competition law and policy law from the same university.
Additionally, she holds a postgraduate diploma in legislative drafting from the Zambia Institute of Legal Education.
