Although pins and shirts are worn adorned with the messages "Black women are heroes" or "Black women will save the world," Black women are continuously omitted in film and television accolades. Despite dominating conversations about breaking boundaries of storytelling and television as an art form, I May Destroy You has been entirely ignored by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globes Awards.
I May Destroy You premiered in the Summer of 2020, placing it as an artwork being aired during high racial tensions after the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. Black Lives Matter protests were held worldwide, and people and organizations posted black squares in support of the movement. The HFPA posted a black square and expressed their support for the movement and Black voices. Coel, herself, was interviewed by numerous magazines, placed on magazine covers, and quotes from her show were dissected for their depth and beauty across multiple platforms.
I May Destroy You created new conversations about consent, sexuality, self-discovery, forgiveness, friendship, race, and feminism in the summer of 2020. Every week, I found myself transported into Coel's story, wondering where her brilliance would lead me next. One of the few shows to discuss male sexual assault and the dismissive and unconcerned nature when it is reported, I May Destroy You plunged into unknown territories and made a path. It is a dedicated work of intersectional feminism showcasing consent and complexities of gender, sex, and race from numerous points of view. Coel's character Arabella shattered the idea that a victim of sexual assault behaves in a certain way. Coel challenged us to see uncomfortable topics through a different lens' week after week. She created complex characters whose actions were complicated and challenged viewers to see that “good” and “bad” actions and people are more complicated than we often believe them to be. After the show's conclusion, I still find myself thinking back to the show's finale and several scenes of the show.
And yet, On February 3, 2021, Golden Globe nominations were announced and Coel's name, her costars names, and her beautiful creation I May Destroy You were nowhere to be found. One of the most timely and important pieces of work in the past decade was completely ignored.
Despite the numerous magazine covers and seemingly high support for the show, few articles reflect on what the snub means and how these patterns hurt Black creators. One of the big stories surrounding I May Destroy You was Coel turning down a "massive Netflix deal," to assure she had creative control. The Netflix deal was reportedly worth 1 million dollars. Michaela Coel previously created, produced, wrote, and composed Chewing Gum and frequently broke the fourth wall, as Fleabag is famous for doing. The show secured her a BAFTA but did not lead to the same abundance of opportunities her white colleagues were given.
In January of 2020, Fleabag was given award after award for the second season of the show. Waller-Bridge was given a contract with Amazon worth a reported amount of 20 million to continue writing and producing television content for the platform. While I loved Fleabag and believe Waller-Bridge deserves all of her opportunities, her Black and POC colleagues have not received the same support.
I am not writing this to compare women or discredit other creators. Both Fleabag and I May Destroy You were great artistic works. I am writing this to show how performative displays of activism and support hurt Black and other creators of color while benefitting their white peers. More specifically, the lack of award show nominations, critical acclaim, and continued support Black and POC creators are not given prevents them from creating more work and landing production deals.
Award shows give award nominations to shows like Emily in Paris, Girls, and Fleabag without question, yet shows like Watchman, Lovecraft Country, and I May Destroy You are disregarded by the HFPA. What is considered groundbreaking and feminist is a very narrow lens of whiteness for some award show bodies, which creates an unequal playing field for Black creators. Another example of this issue is Issa Rae's Insecure. Despite the show being successful, having a large fanbase, good writing, and good performances, Insecure is irregularly nominated for its seasons. Despite the show going into its 5th successful season, Rae has not inked deals worth anywhere near those of her white counterparts.
These snubs show a larger problem in the industry. Feminist is a label almost exclusively given to white television shows and the story of the "white creative girl with an inexplicably nice apartment in a big city who is irrespinsbible with finances and who is sexually promiscuous." There is no intersectionality. The shows usually lack diversity, despite being set in urban, diverse cities. And they offer experiences not widely relatable to those outside of a specific construct. The lack of intersectionality should be upsetting to those claiming to want equality. But, this rarely is concerning to those who are not affected directly.
Magazines supported Coel when it was "trendy" to amplify Black voices, but now that the screams have been lowered a few volumes, they have moved on to the next trend. This performance of support and activism is harmful to Black and Brown creators. It creates a false sense of hope and triumph that quickly wanes when awards, whether they be financial or representative statues of glory, are given.
Michaela Coel deserves better. I May Destroy You deserves better. Black creatives deserve better. The film and television must do better. HPFA must be better.
Tyia Burnett (she/her) is a recent postgraduate student from SOAS University of London. She studied Global Media and Postnational Communication. She also holds a BA in Political Science with a double minor in Film and Media and Anthropology. She currently works with This Fan Girl as a content creator and is a host of The Monstrous Feminine Podcast. Tyia has a love of film and politics and is inspired by the opportunity to use art as a form of political activism and social awareness.
Follow Tyia on Instagram: @tyiaburnett and Twitter: @hargaqueen