Date of Award
5-12-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Advisor(s)
Rachel Hall
Keywords
Black feminism;relatability;respectability;social media;TikTok
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities | Rhetoric and Composition
Abstract
This thesis investigates the influence of digital platforms on Black women’s everyday performance of self. It places social media within a broader context in which Black women negotiate their embodied relationship to a wide variety of influences including but not limited to the church, popular culture, mass media, and Black feminist theories and cultures. In what follows, I provide a reflexive critique of the TikTok genre known as Black Girl Luxury (BGL) and explore audience responses to the content within this genre. Black Girl Luxury is a carefully manufactured aesthetic and appearance that is made to have the illusion of authentic relatability. Class and the performance of class are central components of how BGL functions. Since creators must maintain relatability to keep their audiences, what luxury is and should be is constantly redefined in response to dynamic class tensions informing performances of Black femininity.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Collins, Asajahnique, "We Are Performing Against Ourselves: The Relationship Between Respectability and Relatability" (2024). Theses - ALL. 883.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/883
