2025/11/20 by Ajhanai C.I. Keaton, Keisha Branch, K. Branch +1
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Gender, Feminism, and Media #Music History and Culture #Sports, Gender, and Society
paper · doi:10.1123/ssj.2025-0028
openalex created_date 2025/11/20 · openalex publication_date 2025/11/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
We examined how varying aspects of Black culture and Black femininity are drawn upon by Angel Reese to curate her brand on TikTok. Through the interconnected modalities presented on TikTok (i.e., verbal, visual, audio stimuli): (a) Reese demonstrates an authentic affinity and proximity to Gen Z Black subculture; (b) She performs her interpretation of Black femininity undergirded with a “hoochie mama” aesthetic to reclaim Black women cultural aesthetics, and lastly; (c) she musically uses hip-hop/rap lyrics to speak to “haters,” fans, and naysayers who question her ability to be a mogul and a basketball star. In our analysis, we discuss how her curation of an athlete brand on TikTok is a form of “talking back” and a challenge to respectability politics.