Entries from women of color for the #FirstTimeISawMe represented in movies and TV

Screengrab via Musikluvr103/YouTube nickslimecastpodcast/YouTube Remix by Samantha Grasso

#FirstTimeISawMe proves that media representation for women of color is still lacking

Some women are still waiting to someone that looks like them on TV.

Photo of Samantha Grasso 

Samantha Grasso

Streaming

Posted on Aug 1, 2017   Updated on May 22, 2021, 9:59 pm CDT

Something special happens when you’re a kid and you find someone in media—be it on TV or in the movies—who you feel truly represents you. It’s comforting at the least, and empowering at the greatest, to watch someone who you feel you could grow up to be some day, even if it’s a cartoon character in a middle school sitcom.

But for those of us who don’t fall into the categories of populations most often depicted in media (straight, white, able-bodied cismen, and less often, ciswomen), the lack of representation can do the complete opposite—make you feel isolated and lonely, left to navigate your own reality without the assistance of a fictional character.

Yes, that’s a pretty dramatic depiction of how underrepresentation can affect young girls, but I know that to be my own reality in looking for mixed families on TV, and I’m not alone.

In a collaboration with Netflix, Black Girl Nerds, an online community for “nerdy” black women, had a chance to recount some of their own memories of media representation. Using the hashtag #FirstTimeISawMe, they encouraged other women to share the first time they recall seeing themselves in media.

While Joi, Connie, and Kay-B, women from Black Girl Nerds, saw themselves in black female characters from the Marvel universe and Dear White People, Twitter users threw it back to their own childhoods in which Brandy brought Cinderella to life, and Susie Carmichael from Rugrats showed how important leadership was in the face of scheming Angelica Pickles.

https://twitter.com/freeblackgirl/status/892425492418134018

https://twitter.com/aigelovessims/status/892373344439472128

https://twitter.com/Honey_Ryder77/status/892387195763425285

https://twitter.com/WhenGeeksTravel/status/892405841239977985

https://twitter.com/coleinyosoul/status/892487769339113472

https://twitter.com/aksala13/status/892487434327470080

In addition to black women, other women of color and women of underrepresented religions joined the conversation, showcasing just who else media has underserved over the years.

https://twitter.com/hanlikesolo/status/892482905787772930

https://twitter.com/cupcakesbrownie/status/892486494866329600

https://twitter.com/MalaysiaThao/status/892486550474244096

https://twitter.com/seIinaivy/status/892488146973282304

Of course, some women pointed to the reality that they still have yet to see one character that represents them at all.

https://twitter.com/lauren_manalo/status/892420807481204736

https://twitter.com/dmichellebz/status/892461423187685376

https://twitter.com/gabbinks/status/892488384651952128

https://twitter.com/orionskiss/status/892482887366320128

At least Black Girl Nerds is continuing the conversation—one that can’t afford to lose steam anytime soon.

Share this article
*First Published: Aug 1, 2017, 4:56 pm CDT

Samantha Grasso

Samantha Grasso is a former IRL staff writer for the Daily Dot with a reporting emphasis on immigration. Her work has appeared on AJ+, Vox, Splinter, Los Angeles Magazine, and Austin Monthly.

Samantha Grasso