Project Title

Three Dimensional Black Characters: Women Genere Writers of Film and Television

Disciplines

Screenwriting

Abstract (300 words maximum)

Black women are looked on to be strong in society, and on television, they are regarded in the same light. But what does a strong black woman like? How do they act? In what ways do we expect them to interact with society? And how do writers create these characters? This trope of the "strong black woman" is a caricature and when is it layered with depth and nuance in regard to strengths and weaknesses, it produces three dimensional characters. Audiences today are looking for these examples of three-dimensional characters that mirror their experiences. In this presentation, I will be exploring this phenomenon through Shonda Rimes characters Olivia Pope from Scandal (2012-2018) and Miranda Bailey from Grey's Anatomy (2005-present) compared to Michela Coel’s characters Tracey from Chewing Gum (2015-2017) and Arabella from I May Destroy (2020).

Academic department under which the project should be listed

RCHSS - English

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Anna Weinstein

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Three Dimensional Black Characters: Women Genere Writers of Film and Television

Black women are looked on to be strong in society, and on television, they are regarded in the same light. But what does a strong black woman like? How do they act? In what ways do we expect them to interact with society? And how do writers create these characters? This trope of the "strong black woman" is a caricature and when is it layered with depth and nuance in regard to strengths and weaknesses, it produces three dimensional characters. Audiences today are looking for these examples of three-dimensional characters that mirror their experiences. In this presentation, I will be exploring this phenomenon through Shonda Rimes characters Olivia Pope from Scandal (2012-2018) and Miranda Bailey from Grey's Anatomy (2005-present) compared to Michela Coel’s characters Tracey from Chewing Gum (2015-2017) and Arabella from I May Destroy (2020).