Source: OWN / Oprah Winfrey Network
Black Love, a popular unscripted docu-series on the OWN network, made its debut in 2017 and featured a bevy of couples from the world of entertainment and beyond. With the fourth season coming near the top of next month, fans on Twitter are angered that the upcoming couples in focus have what they feel is a dearth of darker-skinned women among the guests.
Black Love, created by filmmakers Codie and Tommy Oliver, has featured the likes of Tommy and Kirk Franklin, Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe, Styles P and Adjua Styles and more. The trailer for the upcoming season was released to YouTube on Friday (August 14), and a comment from the service illustrates the frustrations of some.
“So in order to be in a loving marriage in African American society, do the women have to be lighter than their husbands all the time? I am from Gabon and do not know American customs, but it is something I have seen on TV often,” read one comment.
Another added, “t would have been nice to see all colors of blackness in this upcoming season and not the typical light-skin wife and dark-skin husband. Black love comes in every shade of black.”
Over on Twitter, that same sentiment has been expressed with some users even stating that some of the cast members for the seasons aren’t even Black. While it does appear that many of cast members appear to be people of color, there might be some merit to the claims that the show’s producers didn’t showcase enough darker hues.
The Twitter account for the docu-series responded to some of the criticism stating their decision to showcase couples where one of the parties isn’t a Black person.
“Hey Ella! We agree. This is why we show Black men and women of all shades in loving relationships – we even show them in relationships with someone who isn’t Black Flushed face And some folks are mad. It sucks. But we still still show US being loved. Because that’s what matter,” read the tweet.
Check out the reactions below. Black Love comes back to OWN on September 5.
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Photo: OWN
Black Coffee, Too Much Cream: Twitter Slams ‘Black Love’ For Not Featuring Dark-Skinned Women was originally published on hiphopwired.com
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Black love is so much more than women/femme people getting over infidelity anyway so that show is eh...
— Asia Chloe Brown (@AsiaChloeBrown) August 15, 2020
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In light of the whole #BlackLove debacle I thought I'd bring this clip back up pic.twitter.com/6AFFxgg8VJ
— Fiona Applebum says block Shaun King! (@WrittenByHanna) August 15, 2020
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No people are questioning why most Black love depicted on large platforms, whether real or fictional, consistently overrepresents light skin women. It's not a personal attack on the women themselves. It's pointing out another form of colorism https://t.co/qR3NzSdY7W
— .gif Goddess (@LexDirects) August 15, 2020
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The Black Love execs when they see a dark skinned Black person's photo pic.twitter.com/HX21O1RSFl
— Petty Wap (@TokenBK1) August 15, 2020
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Y’all must really hate dark skin women enough to not feature them in a TV show about ‘Black Love’ huh pic.twitter.com/rPq52q6V1X
— Alexis (@LEXlGOLD) August 15, 2020
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Dark skinned women should be able to see themselves represented in the media and I’m very very tired of it not happening. You can’t make a documentary about Black love and not include all of the shades, what’s wrong with y’all !
— 🖤 (@notalottamani) August 15, 2020
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I see your show is in need of dark/brown skin women like myself. So I’m offering to be in your show to help you fix this problem. We deserve to be represented and Black children need to see this kind of love too. I have been married for 9yrs and we met in the AUC. #HBCULoveStory pic.twitter.com/G7QnmaA7Wg
— Shakeira (@Shakeira_C) August 15, 2020
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I think folks need to create what they want to see.
— Jetta Bates (@jettasetting) August 15, 2020
Me included.
The #BlackLoveDoc producers brought to life THEIR vision.
So, if Black Love isn’t good/diverse enough...stop complaining about representation + create your own show. Clearly there’s an audience. Go Issa that ish. pic.twitter.com/thiUW3y69E
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This response is disappointing and unsurprising. Instead of deflecting to interracial marriages (between BM + non-Black women), address the absence of dark(er) skinned BW in your documentary. You have control over who you CHOOSE to show. #BlackLoveDoc #RepresentationMatters
— Dr. Mini-Me (@joan_nicole) August 15, 2020
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I’ve watched most of the #BlackLoveDoc episodes and off the top of my head I think there are about 3 couples represented where the wives are dark skinned 😖
— Deidra♊ (@Dee_Cutest) August 15, 2020
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I ain't even need to see the #BlackLoveDoc trailer. I know it will be good and I will be watching!
— Heather Sinclair (@PNKAMR) August 14, 2020
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I find the Black Love Doc commentary on here interesting cuz ppl are saying there’s no dark skin or brown skin women representation in the doc, but clearly y’all have never watched any of the previous episodes.... pic.twitter.com/MwnNAQhzWr
— Tasha Fierce™💄💋 (@its_tasha_baby) August 15, 2020
