Branding Black Womanhood: Media Citizenship from Black Power to Black Girl Magic

CaShawn Thompson's Black Girls Are Magic was repurposed as a gateway to a profitable niche market, with mainstream brands and mass media companies seeking to acknowledge Black womens possession of a distinct magic or power when it suits their profit agendas. Branding Black Womanhood: Media Citizenship from Black Power to Black Girl Magic examines the commercial infrastructure that absorbed Thompson's mantra, and how it has reconfigured Black womens empowerment as a business enterprise.

Format: Hardback
Length: 182 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2022
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

In 2013, CaShawn Thompson created Black Girls Are Magic as a celebration of Black women's resilience. However, less than five years later, it had been repurposed as a gateway to a lucrative niche market. Branding Black Womanhood: Media Citizenship from Black Power to Black Girl Magic explores the commercial infrastructure that embraced Thompson's mantra. While the terminology may have evolved over time, mainstream brands and mass media companies have consistently sought to acknowledge Black women's possession of a distinct magic or power when it aligns with their profit agendas.

Timeka N. Tounsel delves into the individuals and institutions that have reimagined Black women's empowerment as a business enterprise, beginning with the establishment of the Essence brand in the late 1960s. Ultimately, these commercial gatekeepers have constructed an image economy that serves as both a sacred space for Black women and a lucrative hunting ground for their dollars.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978829916