Black girlhood media studies: bridging multidisciplinary approaches from old to new media

Black girlhood media studies provides a space to connect multidisciplinary research across the fields of African American and African Diaspora studies, media studies, gender studies, and communications. With a focus on film, television, and digital media, this essay highlights common themes and approaches of existing scholarship on Black girlhood in media to further understand and contemplate Black girlhood as a media genre. Key themes in prior literature include: adultification and lack of innocence, stereotypes, racial politics, digital media artifacts, and audience perceptions. The essay concludes with suggestions for ways scholars, producers, and consumers can further engage collective cultural representations and varied contexts to build a robust field of Black girlhood media studies.