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XULAneXUS

Publication Date

5-2021

Abstract

This study examines the frequency and nature of Black female representation in Netflix Original films and series released during the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020. As cinema closures drove audiences to streaming platforms, Netflix emerged as the dominant media outlet, raising important questions about how the platform depicted Black women during a year defined by both pandemic isolation and heightened calls for racial justice following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Using content analysis, the researcher coded 112 Netflix Original films and 102 Netflix Original series for the racial identity of main cast members, the frequency of Black female leads, and the character tropes assigned to Black female roles. Findings indicate that while Black female characters appeared in approximately 32 percent of original films and 40 percent of original series, they were more frequently cast in supporting or ensemble roles than as protagonists. Further, approximately 69 percent of original films and 62 percent of original series depicting Black women reproduced longstanding Hollywood stereotypes, including the Mammy, Jezebel, Sapphire, and Pickaninny archetypes and their modern derivatives. The study concludes that despite the absence of the time and space constraints that limit traditional cinema, Netflix continued to cast Black women in stereotyped and underdeveloped roles. Meaningful change in on-screen representation requires structural change behind the camera, including greater investment in Black executives, directors, and writers across the streaming industry. Abstract provided by the editors.

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