No Longer Your Best Black Friend (BBF): The Roles and Expectations of Black Women in Contemporary Television

Abstract

There are still certain expectations held about black women and certain roles that they are expected to fit into. This is heavily prevalent in the film and television industry. This study aims to analyzes the black female lead characters in Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Chewing Gum, and Insecure in the conceptual frame work of Houston Baker’s mastery of form and deformation of master. Before the analysis of the shows, secondary research was performed to provide historical context of black women’s history and their stereotypes.