#black women in media

[dgardenofeve]

[gingerylangylang1979]

Black women who ship Carmy x Sydney, please take care of yourselves

This is written from a place of love, not condescension or trying to spank or belittle anybody. 

I guess I’m just growing concerned about many black women in this fandom feeling bad about this ship in a number of ways and some trends I see that aren’t healthy and uplifting. What I say may make some people angry. Some people may feel I’m dismissing legit concerns or lived experiences. I’m sure I’ll get blocked by some. Oh well. I'm gonna speak my truth. All I’m trying to do is give much needed perspective and say the quiet parts out loud.

When I see black women repeatedly literally letting this shit make them upset and enraged at every turn, daily, it’s a bit alarming to me. If one's happiness is so swayed by the whims of perception of a ship it’s a bit unsettling. Why let this shit have so much power over your mood and enjoyment? It’s just a show. But I think for many it’s way deeper than that and that’s not being kind to oneself or fair to the creators and performers. 

I’ll say this, I know there is misogynoir, and both conscious and unconscious bias involved in a lot of the reactions we are seeing about this ship. I’ve spoken to it. But I think a lot of us are failing to see the nuance of the whole picture and are making everything literally black & white and a cause for outrage and panic. Where I see misogynoir is most at play is in how fans view Ayo/Syd and as an extension Carmy x Sydney. Where I don’t see it particularly in play is how the cast and crew speak about the ship. 

Every time an article comes out denying the ship the knee jerk reaction is hating on Storer and Calo like they don’t want the ship to happen because Syd is black. I just don’t see any evidence of that or need to assume bad intentions. If you trust what you are seeing and think it’s endgame that contradicts Storer and Calo not wanting the ship for racist reasons.

I know what has happened with other BW/WM ships but I just don’t see that here. The romantic undercurrents are just too heavy and they greatly respect Syd as a stand alone character and Ayo as an actress and creator in her own right. Are they going to get everything you want right? No. But they are trying. Does that mean we will get everything we want with her/them? Not necessarily. The same can be said for any of these characters. Just trust what you're seeing, the intentionality is there even if it isn’t validated in media about the show. 

But because she is a black woman we are more invested and more focused on her treatment. That’s fine, let’s uplift her, and protect her. But what I see is a somewhat unhealthy attachment to viewing her as somehow being wronged at every turn. I get it. But I also think it’s not beneficial to be almost looking for her to be wronged in places where it isn’t true. If the ship isn’t being validated in the media and Carmy isn’t kissing her and declaring his love next season it's not sidelining, it’s storytelling, and it’s a slow burn. Some of the same people talking about they want a slow burn I guarantee will be up n arms if Carmy x Sydney are further apart next season, which I think will happen. That's what happens in these romances. But the first thing people will jump to is the writers don't want them together because she is black and the first article denying the ship will have people ready to ride at dawn.

I think it’s just difficult for some to come to terms with how this is going to play our over time and what that really means because she is a black woman character and we want the most for her. They will have ups and downs. Yes, Carmy dated someone else. There is pressure to validate her in so many ways that just aren’t necessarily going to be satisfied on all levels and I think some are making it way personal to a degree that isn’t necessarily warranted. 

Whatever happens with Syd isn’t going to correct the history of the black woman's experience in the media or real life. It will be a monumental event if they go canon, for sure, but I think some people are getting way too emotional and angry if every little thing doesn’t go how they want with her and Carmy. I also see a bit of trying to make other elements validate Syd as a black woman and by extension validate oneself. 

The insistence from some that Ayo and Jeremy have something going on or Jeremy’s performance is rooted in feelings for Ayo is so strange to me. Why? I think some people need to feel like Jeremy has feelings for her because he’s the hot white lead to validate her as a black woman. As excellent as Jeremy is as an actor do people really think he has to actually be in love with Ayo to get the performance we are seeing? He’s just extremely good at his job. I don’t think he has to do that with any other emotions he is portraying so why this need to have him be in love to make the performance resonate? 

I’ve also seen people trying to make a connection with the fact that he’s been seen with a biracial black woman as somehow meaning the next step is he should be with a monoracial black woman and connecting that with him and Sydney. Why? I saw a post that was questioning why this woman isn’t dark skinned with kinky hair as if he’s obligated to date someone that looks “black enough” to validate the attractiveness of dark skinned black women. This post also seemed to be super invested in that because that’s what they look like and want to feel Jeremy should be attracted to them. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this and it always makes me cringe and feel deeply sorry for that person.

I think it’s cool he’s dating a WOC but I have no entitlement or expectation that he go darker and nappier to prove anything to me or the public. And it has no bearing on if he would find someone who looks like me attractive in a sexual way or the same for his character. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t. What does it matter? If he is told to kiss Ayo onscreen, he will, because he’s a professional. Why are people making it so personal who he chooses in his real life? It just seems extremely insecure and projecting. If he dates someone else who is white white or another race that’s not black, is that going to hurt feelings? He doesn’t like “belong” to black women now. Jokes about it are funny but internalizing it as validation is dangerous. 

I also see this in an intense desire to have another white character be in the love triangle. If you just want someone else in the picture, fine. But I feel like there is this big desire to have it be another white man when Marcus has been there the whole time. I don’t ship her with Marcus (well, I did for a minute when I was enraged with Carmy) but it’s because I don’t think it’s where her heart is. But I also don’t see Marcus as a non-viable option. But since he’s not the white boy of the month, it’s not as appealing or viewed as big of a win for some if she’s with him or he’s the only suitor. People have mentioned Connor as a potential. Ok, yeah, I can see it based on the evidence presented, but I hope it isn’t viewed as a like let’s boot Marcus so this white boy who sorta superficially looks like Carmy is the rival. Maybe it can be a love square and three men fight for Syd, but I don’t want to discredit Marcus just because another curly haired white boy with blue eyes shows up. 

And lastly, if your emotional well being is so super effected about what happens to Sydney and it’s so entangled with feelings of being marginalized to the point that it’s distressing and your hyperfocused on every detail as a win or lose, I think you need to consider why and understand her being with Carmy isn’t going to heal anything. A lot of fans project personal issues onto characters and it’s just never going to fill an emotional hole or be a substitute for racial justice.

I saw someone post recently that this ship is a coping mechanism. And honestly it shouldn’t be. Just like Claire can’t fix Carmy, shipping Carmy x Sydney and hoping they are canon isn’t going to fix anything. If this is a fun outlet for you and a way to spend free time, great. But I wouldn’t link being in the fandom and shipping with self care. It’s too volatile to be tethering your emotional well being to. That’s like putting your healing in the hands of writers, media, and fandom when you should be in control of your journey. I think it’s cool to relate to the characters and be invested in their story but it can get kind of messy and parasocial if you put too much personal weight on outcomes regarding the show.  

So, I just want us to be more positive and focus on the wins with this character and Ayo. And also focus on the future. That doesn’t mean ignore the shenanigans. But I think so much attention is focused on the negative that not enough credit is being given to the bravery of having a dark skinned black woman as the co-lead, having her be her own person with her own struggles and nuances, having her most likely also be an unconventional romantic lead, having Ayo be the breakout star she is, having her get EP credits and directing next season, how she is a cover star, how she is multi-talented, how she is praised by everyone who works with her, how she is the IT girl. And I think this story will do her justice in the end.

[richardsthirdnipple]

The Lack of Nuance with House Velayron.

I want to establish that the strange relationship to blackness in the show is confusing.

The show runners didn't write black characters. The Velaryons are Valyrian.

The cast is filled with black actors who draw parallels in their interviews to their blackness and this house. Without correction.

In a similar vain to how house Targaryen, house Hightower and house Lannister are all played by white people the Velaryons look black but are not written o be perceived as black in the narrative.

It's not inherently colorblind casting because the intent was to differentiate the Velaryons and Targaryens and to show how obvious Rhaenyra’s adultery is. It does, however, act in the same way. Their blackness isn't supposed to impact the narrative past that extent. Unfortunately, that's not how race works in media. Look at Bridgerton. For example, they knew they wanted to include racial elements to justify their alternate history while imploring colorblind casting and building these characters around their actors.

The biggest issue that comes from this understanding is that because they didn't write the script with black people in mind and just wrote it thematically to reach up to the dance, they end up sidelining and putting black characters into a lot of reductive stereotypes and fulfilling harmful tropes that contribute to the oppression of real world black people.

Laena is the second choice bride for Daemon, a white prince. He spends their marriage, making it known that he'd prefer to be with his other niece while not discounting the fact that they are happy enough for their circumstance.

Laena is a black girl who is passed over twice in the narrative for white women for different reasons. Her husband can't truly love her or their black children to the full extent he would her white counterpart.

Laenor is a gay man who can not do his duty to the realm and, as a result, does not sleep with his wife, causing her to look for a man who will essentially making his successor not from his blood.

Laenor is a black gay man explicitly traumatized during a wedding, not being able to fulfill his duty. His wife finds someone willing to do it during this time and he agrees to take the blame. The kid doesn't look like him. This pattern and behaviour continues because it can cost these kids their life. Rhaenyra actively contributes to the erasure of black succession for this house, choosing instead to sleep with and have kids by a white man.

Certain things work with this change. Corlys saying 'history does not remember blood it remembers names' gives 'I'm not black I'm OJ'.

The perception of success defines him more than the inherent loss of blackness he's pandering, too.

That wasn't the show's intention, though. None of my reading was intended to be placed on the story.

They made Laena into a sapphire who ended her life brutally after thinking it would be lost to childbirth.

The statistical and historical relationship to black women and childbirth was a burden the show runners did not consider.

It gets worse when the writers call it a 'dragon riders death' because it's so much more brutal than the death she endures in the book. A black woman chooses a brutal death as opposed to being helpless in childbirth. That's not imagery that was utilized well.

Laenor rededicating his life to his family after his sisters death only to be replaced by a white man and killed off violently (not really though, he just abandoned his family).

They also casually make him and his dad absent fathers.

With Corlys, they unknowingly employ Uncle Tom tropes with him while making him absent from his family, and next season, a cheater with an outside family.

Vaemond is a black man being gaslit all around him, and when he stands up for what is a real concern to have in his shoes, in a moment where he chooses to be unapologetic and angry he's brutally killed by a white protagonist. They punish the black character who didn't want to assimilate.

Again, this wasn't the writers intention because they are not writing black character. With someone like Nettles, this relationship to the narrative will be clearer. The racism and prejudice she faces in the story are different from the Velaryons because she's perceived as other or black in this world. Like Missandei and Grey Worm, she's a black character in the universe.

However, the imagery that these things invoke can not be avoided just because you don't focus on them. That's even more reckless because you get the diversity points, claim there is a reason behind their blackness, and then utilize reductive tropes and stereotypes.

I truly think they should've utilized the Bridgerton method and attributed the difference to dragonriding and the fact that a lesser dragon riding family would still be better than a rich non dragon riding family and that their ability to have dragon riders now should evaluate their status even though, through the show we see it not shifting their dynamic.

Racism and the stereotypes that come from it aren't based on anything tangible. White hair dragon riders through marriage and people with white hair who inherently can claim a dragon by blood alone is the same nonsense racism is based on. It's not really an important distinction but a necessary one to perpetuate and hold power. It could simply be a prejudice that the Velaryons acknowledged is there and are trying to break through.

This is a good show. It was beautifully done with the source material they had, but consciousness when it comes to perception and duality are so important when it comes to media, especially when writing for marginalized groups.

I would've loved to see Laenor and Rhaenyra have a discussion along the lines of her icing him out of their family unit, replacing him during a hard time. Or him actively acknowledging the burden of his position as heir with Luke and relating to his inability to do his duty and Luke's burden of perceived bastardy.

I'd love to see a Corlys and Vaemond Arguemnt of Corlys' assimilation to the politics of Westeros and the identity of house Velayron being lost as a result.

Laena could've acknowledged her worth to their marriage, calling Daemon out on his complacency to their collective happiness and expecting him to be better would've ate, cleared and devoured.

Imagine that last scene coupled with book Laena's death. I would've secured the Emmy for Nanna.

Not only does this add to the world building, but it sets up future (technically past) relationships between the Velaryons and someone like Nettles. Between them and Targaryens.

I need a cold cigarette. I will end this by saying the framework should they decide to establish this better is already there. It's just unfortunate that we lost three cool people before the nuance would hit.

[mercutio-the-velaryon]

*gen v spoilers*

I talk so much about Jordan on here for someone whose favourite character is actually Marie, so let me sing her praises.

Let me just say, it is so nice to have not only a woman but a black woman protagonist with vile violent powers. I know we've had a ton of strong female superheros with superstrength and what not. But Marie's power is viewed as "putrid" and "disgusting" (not to me I think they're cunty), its powerful but not marketable (hence Brink's rejection). There's something about that, it just feels cathartic to see someone so strong and powerful have their foil be that their powers aren't beautiful, flowery or socially acceptable. Like Marie as a person/supe innately rages against the system. It also kind of speaks to the way black women are conditioned to define their worth by the standards of white femininity through white supremacy and then are constantly denied it. Within the patriarchy, women are defined by their fragility, their delicateness, their innocence, their need for protection but when it comes to woc (Black women especially) they are considered to exist outside of those bounds, outside of those needs.

I just think a lot of care and consideration went into crafting such a dynamic layered character like more of this, actually, please, and thanks.

Diverging from the Marie praise:

Another interesting note, is that when the board is deciding what narrative they should use to cover up the Golden Boy incident, its specifically mentioned that Marie is being favoured by the public, for her beauty, mind you she was just standing there in the video, she didn't use her abilities at all. The reason she ended up in the top 10 is in spite of her powers, I wonder if the result would still be the same if she did use them (I honestly don't think so).

Diving into the top ten a little more, I don't think there's a single person on there who placed purely because of merit. I think there's a series of criteria that needs to be met regarding power, status, and popularity. We saw how quickly Andre got bodied by Sam. He's definitely top 10 because of nepotism as well as the fact that he's just attractive. Jordan Li is there because of their close relationship with Brink (albeit probably formed because of how strong Jordan is, but I digress). But their also the acceptable inoffensive kind of queer that can give God U points for diversity without offending its more conservative sponsors or benefactors. Jordan's also attractive, in both forms, so that helps as well. Golden Boy's an all-rounder, an all-American attractive white boy with an ability that's not only strong but makes for entertaining spectacle.

Andre, Golden Boy, and Jordan's powers are all powerful, but just as importantly, they're aesthetically pleasing and aspirational that, among other reasons, is why they're top 10.

Let me get into Cate and Emma another day.

[jazzywazzy89]

Help Me Name My Podcast

[palettesofrenaissance]

Robyn Rose-Li

[blackautmedia]

[eastsideofthemoon]

This is a phenomenal interview!! If you're a Star Trek Discovery fan or an SMG fan of any degree, I highly recommend this interview.

[imthefailedartist]

Have they asked Paula Patton to come back to the Mission Impossible movies? Because if they haven't they need to. Jane Carter was a great addition and I want her back. They've added 2 white women, even brought back his wife. We want Carter.

Hell, I'll even take a Paula Patton lead spy franchise.

[melaniearchives]

She was the only reason why i ever played anyt of the Resident Evil game.

[charismaticsage]

Quinta Brunson, Issa Rae, and other Top TV Writers Share their Scribe Secrets

Quinta Brunson and Issa Rae

Nichelle Tramble Spellman “Truth Be Told”

“I had gone to see Elizabeth Gilbert and Cheryl Strayed speak… I was turned the opposite direction, looking at all the women and thinking, if those two were evil, this would be a really interesting afternoon. That kind of bloomed for Season 2.”

Quinta Brunson “Abbott Elementary”

“Part of the message that made me really want to make the show is showing people who shouldn’t be talking to each other making something happen.”

Issa Rae “Insecure”

“Parts of the story were based off things that happened to me [or] happened to writers. We love to live in the gray area of the storytelling where there’s no right answer. There’s no wrong answer. The most important thing was just being honest.”

Photos by Dan Doperalski

[kissingagrumpygiant]

"I thought the story was about aegon and rhaenyra why is alicent still here :(" are u dumb in the head geniune question

[culther]

BLACK HAIR-STORY: Embracing the power and beauty of Black women's hair this Black History Month, with Lil Kim , Mary J Blige , Nivea & JT of the City Girls. [ Eras from 1995-2023 ] #NotTheBAYANG !

For centuries, our hair has been an undeniable symbol of resilience, creativity, and self-expression. From ancient times to modern-day, it's been our crown, our canvas, our statement.

Yet, the journey to celebrate our natural hair hasn't always been easy. Despite the rich history of using wigs, weaves, and elaborate hairstyles as editorial expressions, and beauty tactics for everyday life we still face backlash for embracing our true selves.

JT, of the City Girls was the most recent topic of discussion just last year for her experimental “ MOWALOLA X BEATS BY DRE “ headphones y2k inspired campaign look. Social media warriors called her names and insulted her existence for telling a story with the look she was in…

People have always hated black women’s hair. Let's reclaim our narrative, honor our roots, and celebrate every strand as a testament to our strength and beauty. — [ x ]

[palettesofrenaissance]

Robyn Rose-Li

[blackautmedia]

One of the things I'm hoping to get across in this Boondocks video™ in progress is the way a lot of discussions about adult animation center less around genuinely engaging with the commentary these shows often make and more rationalizing and elevating blatant bigotries as an elaborate progressive satire.

I don't hate the Boondocks. In a lot of ways it's fantastic, but I also find that a lot of more left-leaning adult animated series like Bojack Horseman, Tuca and Bertie, Bob's Burgers and The Boondocks get placed in this deified space where they're placed in binary terms against the likes of the shows agreed upon to be the "bad" ones like South Park, Family Guy, etc.

It's especially valuable to be more critical about these as discussion pieces as they're often very impressionable and influential on younger viewers in their mid to late teens and early 20s.

Because it's not Family Guy, it must be progressive and how dare you ever speak critically of it in any capacity.

So much discourse around queer themes in The Boondocks only center around The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2 without looking at several other relevant episodes and themes throughout the show, which I think gives a very incomplete picture of the nature of the kind of commentary The Boondocks makes.

In particular, I think it does a major disservice to Black trans people and the way that misogynoir also influences the discussions of queerness in The Boondocks.

But it can also be difficult to have this conversation because of the ways that "it's a satire, they're intentionally awful people" is utilized.

Depiction is not endorsement, but just because a work is satirical or your cast are intentionally bad people doesn't mean you're magically free of the narrative implications behind how you frame your cast.

Depiction is one piece of the puzzle, but you can't discuss it without discussing framing.

In some way, shape, or form, these conversations often assert that criticisms of these works are unfounded because the use or inclusion of bigoted characters doesn't make the work itself bigoted, which...isn't the claim being made.

For example, Robert Freeman throughout much of the TV series is depicted as a blatant womanizer and is repeatedly mocked for that attitude. The entire episode Pause AKA the Tyler Perry episode is in part a long joke at his expense for his womanizing behavior and for overestimating his skills as an actor.

This idea isn't wrong, but it is incomplete. While you can certainly make that argument the episode is a joke at a womanizer's expense, it still doesn't grapple with how the narrative delivers his comeuppance within the confines of cisheteronormative ideas about queer and fat bodies.

You can only see Robert as being "punished" if you also agree with the framing that fat women's bodies are disgusting and worthless, thus they are thrust onto him as comeuppance for his sleazy behavior toward "actual" (i.e. conventionally attractive) women.

You can only see Robert as "getting what's coming to him" if you cosign the way that the episode frames and links the element of queerness or being publicly perceived as queer as gross and awful, with Robert even comparing the concept to the gross challenges done in Fear Factor.

Likewise, Pause runs into a lot of issues very quickly in how it depicts Winston Jerome, the Tyler Perry stand-in as a predatory gay man with the desire to be a woman "both inside and out" in his words. A Tyler Perry who deceives Robert with the promise of sexual gratification with beautiful women only to see he's being preying on Robert to trick him into having sex with a gay man.

It's not helped by the title of the episode being "Pause" and the episode also heavily referencing The Rocky Picture Horror Show.

A lot of Pause and several other episodes in the Boondocks lean into very homophobic and transphobic notions of fat and queer bodies and the idea of viewing Black queer people as predatory beasts.

This is also my issue with a lot of discussions about adult animation in how they center around if individual people are "meant" to be seen as bad.

To leave the episode as "Robert is a womanizer we're not meant to agree with" is to leave out the entire discussion of the portrayal and utilization of queerness and misogynoir within the Boondocks.

This also applies to discussions of Riley's homophobic beliefs within the series. Riley espousing homophobic views is not an endorsement of homophobia by the series proper nor the creators. He's designed to be a very specific form of critique about the bigoted attitudes normalized in the hip hop community as well as a commentary on the narratives normalized through Black media.

But leaving the conversation there without making further discussion on how the Boondocks frames those issues within its own storytelling oversimplifies the conversation and invalidates the very real grievances Black queer people have felt toward portrayals and narratives like this.

The video will discuss this in more depth than my light summary here since this is a preview of sorts and go into the historical precedent for these ideas, so this is just a taste of what's to come.

I'm almost through the research phase with only a few more books to read through and watching a few other series and films that the Boondocks is heavily inspired by, so I'm looking forward to rewatching the Cowboy Bebop movie this weekend!