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Articles

Vol. 5 No. 3 (2017)

‘The Shonda Gaze’: The Effects of Television and Black Female Identity in the UK

  • Roxanne Asare
Submitted
December 31, 2017
Published
2017-12-31

Abstract

This research paper looks into how modern-day representations of black women in the media, specifically television, impact the way in which young black women in the UK shape their identity. While there is extensive literature on the implications of historical stereotypes on black women, there is a lack of understanding and academic attention towards the impact modern representations have on this social group within the UK. However, through audience perception theory alongside a conceptual framework based on a Black Feminist perspective, this research uncovers that despite the influx of ‘positive’ representation in TV, young black women in the UK have maintained and developed a negative discourse of self-perception that stems to judgement of those similar to them based on gender and racial bias in society.

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