Television series are a widely consumed form of media, targeted at all ages, with the intention of entertaining their audiences.
However, as I’ve grown up and seen a considerable number of shows, I can only express my disdain for tropes like the “disposable Black girlfriend.”
With the intention of conditioning consumers to perceive these women in a certain way, this trope is prevalent among female characters, furthering the progression of the protagonist's storyline with their white counterparts.
They often serve as a temporary love interest and can be shown, even when not centering a non-Black person of colour, “commonly found in canon media, as well as in fan-made transformative works,” says the site Fanlore.
To me, the trope feels like a symptom of a broader issue shown in media representation of Black people, where many can view them as “unlovable” or there for diversity.
As a Black woman myself, seeing the ongoing pattern when I was younger and growing to recognize it in adulthood made me feel an immeasurable sense of displeasure.
I know that little girls who look like me are just as deserving of love and want positive endings in popular stories, but how can anyone think that when this is what the media continues to portray us as a means to an end?
Shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty, Invincible, Sex Education, Austin and Ally, are series that I found the trope is most prominent, where the women were sidelined. Whenever people tried to discuss it, the issue was invalidated.
I feel like it can put into perspective how things are still deeply rooted in colourism and racism regarding the beauty standard, and no matter how positive the chemistry is, people don’t root for what they see as different.
For me, even seeing various fandoms online popularize same sex relationships to avoid certain characters being with Black women has been very telling as well.
I have seen it for characters like Mel Medarda in the award-winning show Arcane and High School Musical, with people wanting Chad Danforth and Ryan Evans together.
Placing Black women in this predicament, where they are written as stable to show the protagonist's growth, only to have the protagonist eventually leave them for the “messier” or “more relatable” white characters, is exhausting.
It feels like it ultimately perpetuates the idea that womanhood in the form of Black representation is an obstacle that leads to a satisfying story. Despite its subtlety, it never treats us as a prize.
I would like the same sense of urgency for Black women as they do for their white counterparts in the media, and for directors to contrast this “placeholder” ideal with a purposeful cause.
In shows like Abbott Elementary and Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte, they have good examples for their female leads possessing power and prestige simultaneously that fit as a good form of embodiment that should be shown in today's society.
As ongoing generations continue to see this in television series or films they watch, we need characters that are not tethered to the growth of a white leading castmate. Instead, we should look to seek a blueprint for success.
I think both producers and writers need to move beyond the mindset of casting these Black women as “diversity hires” and begin writing their narrative with the same complexity offered to their peers.
It is time to stop stereotyping our likeness to be used as a stepping stone for another character's growth, and in turn, treat our stories as a destination.
