Pose exports a violent colorist representation of Black women
Henderson 19, Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!, The Cast of Pose Gets Real About Colorism: 'It Needs to Be Seen', 8/13/19//ATW
The groundbreaking Emmy-nominated FX series has recently faced a moderate amount of criticism from some fans. Viewers have pointed out the supposed villainous attitudes and harsh treatment of darker-skinned characters like Elektra Abundance and Candy Ferocity, who [spoiler alert] was brutally murdered earlier this season. "Pose has spent all of the second season fictionalizing Paris Is Burning by giving shocking storylines—ones that happened to fair-skinned people in real life—to the dark-skinned characters," points out Court Danee in their essay, 'Pose' Has an Increasingly Obvious Colorism Problem.
During the Televised Revolution: The Beings of Pose panel, Angel Curiel, Dyllón Burnside, Hailie Sahar, Indya Moore, and MJ Rodriguez sat down with moderator Jayce Baron, where he asked the cast to address the criticism from fans, specifically mentioning a line Lulu said during Candy's funeral where she believed Candy treated her poorly because she was "light skin and thick."
Activist Indya Moore, who plays Angel on the show, launched the conversation.
"I think colorism is one of the most subconscious biases that exist because Black people also contribute to it too and POC also contribute to it too, especially when you're light skin. You don't really see how you're contributing to colorism. In a lot of ways that white people don't see themselves contributing to white supremacy or anti-Blackness. People have brought up concerns around colorism. People have noticed how Dominque [Jackson who plays Elektra Abundance] and Candy seem to be the villains of the show."