From Best Friend to Last Choice: The Disposable Black Girlfriend Trope in Media
Growing up, I have always seen the Black girl character in a TV show be treated as the funny character who puts her friends first, has the best jokes, style, and whose hairstyles ate down every single time. Watching characters like Raven Baxter not only have a psychic gift, but also shine in rooms with her fashion while dealing with real-world issues truly inspired me as a kid. While being loved by her boyfriend, Devon Carter, Raven Baxter inspired millions of girls, especially Black girls, to be unapologetically themselves.
Even seeing Penny Proud, showcased in The Proud Family, a Black girl in the suburbs who loved music and her friends, and whose iconic beauty mark was showcased, she was confident, caring, and even had her share of short-lived romantic partners and crushes.
On the other hand, as I have gotten older, I realized that there was a shift. While being a teenager, I noticed that the Black characters became placeholders for men until they woke up and realized that the Black girl was not their true love, and it was always a girl who was non-Black. One of the main media tropes that is harmful in the Black community is the disposable Black girlfriend. Her characteristics includes being talented, going above and beyond for her friends, and simply being last place in the love department. They may be beautiful, but Hollywood showcases them as the last resort, which negatively impacts the viewers watching the show.
Just imagine having a crush on your dream guy. Wearing your best outfits to school just so he can get a glance at you in the hallway. Butterflies in your stomach and your confidence on 10, you may feel like you are on top of the world. Months later, you guys start dating, and then you notice that his attitude shifts. You may think, “What did I do wrong?” “Did I say something wrong?” You start to notice that it is not you. His true love, who could be his childhood friend or class rival, is the person he truly adores.
This media trope is extremely harmful to viewers because it showcases that Black young women are not deserving of love. It showcases Black characters being put on a pedestal as eye candy instead of truly deserving love. This trope is especially shown in season one of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Nicole was the casual fling of Conrad’s before he started to date Belly. Viewers noticed that Nicole was smart, beautiful, and confident. Even though she was rude to Belly (I am not going to lie), she was betrayed when she realized that Conrad started to develop feelings for his childhood friend, Belly. Nicole was seen as a mentor/friend to Belly. Was Nicole simply not deserving of love because of the color of her skin?
In this modern age, it is time for this trope to come to an end. This negative media trope is also seen in the Netflix hit show XO, Kitty. Juliana is assertive and intelligent. Even though viewers were caught off guard due to her attitude towards Kitty, people then started to fall in love with her. Side note, why is the Black girl who becomes disposable always portrayed as rude to the protagonist of the show?
Juliana is the girlfriend of Yuri, but they have to hide their relationship due to Yuri’s homophobic parents. Yuri then enters a fake relationship to hide her true feelings for Juliana. But then guess what happens next? Yuri starts to develop feelings for the protagonist, Kitty, and Yuri even cheats on her. Being betrayed and lied to is a common factor for Black characters.
While being a young girl navigating life on social media, imagine seeing this happening time and time again. One may start to think that they are not deserving of love because they are a Black girl navigating the world. While beautiful Black girls navigate colorism, racism, scrutiny for their hairstyles, and being told that they are “being too grown” or “trying to act white,” it is time for young girls to realize that they are deserving of love. No one should ever feel that they are not deserving of love. This makes girls feel stagnant and self-conscious. Now, one may argue that there is Black love showcased between various characters, which is absolutely true, but it seems that the disposable Black girlfriend trope continues to be the butt of the joke in Hollywood, dating back to the beginning of film and TV.
