The internet thrives on commentary especially when it involves love and conflict. Audiences are quick to insert themselves into situations that have nothing to do with them and, refreshing their timelines for reactions that align with their own opinions. In this cycle, entertainment becomes more than just consumption, it becomes participation.
With this participation, a pattern consistently emerges. There are always two assigned roles: a victim and a villain. More often than not, Black women are cast as the villain.
This pattern reflects a deeper issue rooted in misogyny, where racism and sexism intersect to shape how Black women are perceived. Online fandom culture amplifies this bias, rewarding narratives that villainize Black women while extending grace to others.
Recent discourse surrounding Love Island USA highlights this dynamic. During season 7, contestants and fan favorites Olandria Carthen and Chelley Bissainthe have fallen victim to the “mean girl” and “bully” trap despite engaging in conflicts that many argued as justified. While fellow cast member Huda Mustafa, whose behavior was often described as territorial and toxic, received mass sympathy and support.
During the show, Mustafa’s behavior with her coupled partner Jeremiah Brown, and her tone with other female contestants earned her the nickname “Hurricane Huda” by viewers. Fans of the show said she created a hostile environment for her castmates.
Nevertheless, people still support Mustafa on the other hand those same supporters didn’t extend that same grace towards Carthen or Bissainthe. The “Heart Race” and “Stand on Business” challenges intensified tensions among the audience and castmates. Bissainthe’s decision to distance herself from Mustafa after feeling disrespected was framed as an overreaction. Carthen faced intense backlash for revealing a kiss between Mustafa and another contestant.
Even though the girls made up, online hate escalated into outright racism. One disturbing incident involved a fan of Mustafa photoshopping Carthen’s face on the late George Floyd’s body and Mustafa’s face on Derek Chauvin.
Months later, Mustafa and her boyfriend, Louis Russell, were on live stream laughing at an anonymous phone call from a fan who called Carthen a racial slur. Once again fans of Mustafa knowingly defended her while saying fans of Carthen were overreacting.
This pattern extended beyond this season. Season 6 contestant Jana Craig, became a target after publicly supporting a brand’s decision ending their partnership with Mustafa after her racial controversy. Craig was attacked online with critics weaponizing her past relationship with Kenny Rodriguez, saying she deserved what she got due to Craig being “jealous and bitter” of Mustafa.
A similar dynamic is visible in streaming culture. Twitch streamer Kai Cenat has built a huge platform where personal relationships serve as entertainment for his viewers. After his breakup with GiGi, streamer Rakai publicly criticized and mocked her on stream. Although Gigi denied rumors of cheating on Cenat, the situation quickly became entertainment for viewers.
Rakai issued an apology to Gigi but retracted it and continued to be disrespectful and involved her mother. Despite backlash from the situation, viewers still found the stream funny and entertaining. This trend of publicly humiliating women, particularly Black women, is starting to become too normalized under the category of entertainment.
This issue isn’t tied to a reality tv show or content creators, this mirrors a societal and cultural problem. Society doesn’t allow Black women to be complex or receive empathy from the general public. When they attempt to set boundaries with others, they’re labeled as difficult to understand or being rude.
Colorism also plays a major part in this, as lighter-skinned individuals are oftentimes given more grace while darker-skinned women face scrutiny. This shows an imbalance in “power” of how sympathy is distributed in this day and age.
From stan culture to streaming platforms, we are seeing an uprising in the devaluation of Black women. It’s distasteful that this is what society is changing into, these narratives shape how Black women will be perceived, treated, and valued in everyday life.
As long as the internet decides to profit off of their villainization, this cycle will slowly evolve into a new harmful norm against Black women.