Fans

“One of the main ways that Black female fandom makes Black femininity visible is by consciously moving mediated women of color, who often occupy supporting roles, to the center, transforming them into leads in fan-

produced discourse. The objective of this sort of subversive act is to create imagined moments of identification and representation for an audience that rarely, if ever, gets the opportunity to see an actress of color in a leading role—until Scandal.”

I chose this quote from the Warner reading because I believe it tied together the importance of fans, especially when it has to do with black women in Hollywood. It is fans who support black women in Hollywood, such as, the women in my video and that is what permits black women to have a spot in Hollywood. In my video I used a speech given by Blackish star Yara Shahidi, who is only a teenager, and overlay clips of strong black women in Hollywood like Kerry Washington and Beyonce. In Shahidi’s speech she talks about the importance of the black women who she looks up to and how they inspire her to pave a successful, and inspirational path for herself and her fans. The way Yara is influenced by the older women in her industry is similar to the way fans are inspired when they see a powerful black women in a leading role in a film or movie. In my video I finish with the ending line to Lupita Nyon’o Best Supporting Actress speech at the Oscars where she encourages people everywhere to never give up on their dreams no matter who they are. This is what fans of actresses of color are influenced and inspired by-women who are not afraid to back down and earn their dreams.

Citation:

Warner, Kristen J. “ABC’s Scandal and Black Women’s Fandom.” Cupcakes, Pinterest, and Ladyporn: Feminized Popular Culture in the Early Twenty-First Century, by Elana Levine, Ill., 2015.

“Yara Shahidi’s Woke Speech On Young Womanhood | ESSENCE.” ESSENCE, 6 Mar. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hab0hhnAQkE.

“Olivia Pope – 4×9.” YouTube, 23 Feb. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jq4xU90Q8w&t=7s.

“Pretty Hurts (Video).” BeyonceVEVO, 24 Apr. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXXQLa-5n5w.

“Lupita Nyong’o Winning Best Supporting Actress.” Oscars, 11 Mar. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=73fz_uK-vhs&t=1s.