Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses Studies Spring 5-13-2021 The Art of Becoming Charity J. Jackson Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/wsi_theses Recommended Citation Jackson, Charity J., "The Art of Becoming." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2021. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/wsi_theses/83 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Art of Becoming by Charity J. Jackson Under the Direction of Tiffany King, PhD A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2021 ABSTRACT This study aims to bring attention to the ways in which Black womanhood is curated in the digital landscape by both Black women and non-Black women. Representations of Black women, often coded as negative, circulate mainstream media today, but when the same representations are taken up by non-Black woman bodies, they are regarded differently as unique, profitable, and desirable. In this context, Black womanhood is described as a specific performance assembled through cultural references popularized by Black women. To explore this topic, I analyze two Instagram accounts through visual analysis. The results show how my own curation of my image on Instagram account as a Black woman and Emma Hallberg’s, a white Swedish woman accused of “Blackfishing,” curation of her Instagram account are shaped by the performance of Black womanhood in digital space. INDEX WORDS: Black womanhood, Blackfishing, Black identity, Racial and gender performance, Racial Copyright by Charity J. Jackson 2021 The Art of Becoming by Charity J. Jackson Committee Chair: Tiffany King Committee: Chamara Kwakye Jade Petermon Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Services College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2021 iv DEDICATION In dedication to Black women in search of being seen, the freedom to feel, and the experience of pure joy. May this work inspire, affirm, and support you in some small way. From a Black woman in search of the same. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A special thank you to everyone who helped make this work possible. To my committee and my cohort, thank you for taking the time to keep me focused and motivated to finished. To my friends and family to supported me throughout my journey, I appreciate you undying love and consistent cheerleading through this process. To my grandmothers, whose constant prayers I know are the reason that I have gotten this far, everything I do is in thanks to you. And the great state of Ohio, to whom, I’ll always call home. Without you all, none of this would be possible. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ V LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. VIII 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Literature Review............................................................................................................ 5 1.1.1 Black Popular Culture: ............................................................................................ 5 1.1.2 Gender and Racial Performance: ............................................................................ 7 1.1.3 Black Women and Pop Culture Representations: ................................................... 9 1.2 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 12 1.3 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 12 1.4 Implications and Conclusion ........................................................................................ 14 2 THE ART OF BECOMING YOURSELF .......................................................................... 16 2.1 Introduction – Looking In While Looking Out .......................................................... 16 2.2 Thinking Through Identity Creation and Negotiation .............................................. 19 2.2.1 Charity J. Jackson and Instagram ......................................................................... 20 2.2.2 Developing @thecoolerkiddd’s Strategy: ............................................................... 23 2.3 Roles of @thecoolerkiddd ............................................................................................. 28 2.4 Analysis of @thecoolerkiddd ....................................................................................... 31 2.5 Themes of @thecoolerkiddd......................................................................................... 33 2.5.1 Picture me ............................................................................................................... 33 vii 2.5.2 Caption This: .......................................................................................................... 33 2.5.3 On Location: ........................................................................................................... 36 2.5.4 Overall Blackness ................................................................................................... 37 2.5.5 But I Am A Black Woman ..................................................................................... 39 2.6 A Black Woman’s Reality ............................................................................................ 40 3 THE ART OF BECOMING SOMEONE ELSE ................................................................ 44 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 44 3.2 What is Blackfishing? ................................................................................................... 45 3.3 Thinking Through Blackness and Womanhood: ....................................................... 47 3.4 Who is Emma Hallberg ................................................................................................ 48 3.5 Analysis of Emma Hallberg.......................................................................................... 48 3.5.1 Theme 1: The Physical Body – Blurring the Lines To Near Blackness .............. 49 3.5.2 Theme 2: The Body’s Positioning – Doing What Black Girls Do To The Body . 52 3.5.3 Theme 3: The Body’s Positioned Against – Accessorizing Blackness Around the Body ........................................................................................................................ 57 3.6 Circulation and Reception ............................................................................................ 60 3.7 Emma’s Response ......................................................................................................... 62 3.8 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 62 4 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 66 WORKS CITED.......................................................................................................................... 70 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 ...................................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 2.2 ...................................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 2.3 ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 2.4 ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 2.5 ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 2.6 ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 2.7 ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 2.8 ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 2.9 ...................................................................................................................................... 25 Figure 2.10 .................................................................................................................................... 25 Figure 2.11 .................................................................................................................................... 25 Figure 2.12 ...................................................................................................................................