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Ethereal looks and surreal scenes have glued many fantasy photography fans to their screens. Sadly, women of color are often left out from the fantasy genre altogether.

But one woman who goes by the Twitter handle “@btsanima” decided to redeem black women in fantastical set-ups. She thus started a Twitter thread with the caption “Black women in fantasy photography thread bc even though our presence is small, I will not be deterred.” The thread immediately went viral with 69.4K retweets and comments, as well as 214.6K likes and still counting.

So let’s immerse ourselves in a series of jaw-dropping photographs with otherworldly black beauty down below!

#1

Black-Women-Fantasy-Photos

lillianliuphotography , Theresa Report

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LillianLiu
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you Bored Panda! What an incredible honour. I am the creator of this image- and what would be amazing would be to include the credits for all of those who made these images possible! Here, we have myself (Lillian Liu), Theresa Fractale, Linda Friesen, Remy Dupont, and LadyFreakShow x.

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Dominique Garnett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hello, I am a new author and I have been searching for the perfect picture to use as the cover of my new book. I was wondering if you charged to use your photos and if so, how much for this one?

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Party Poison
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

holy c**p... this is the most beautiful thing i have ever set eyes upon...

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Pseudo Puppy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

divine!! <3 Everything from the depth of field, to the makeup, styling... everything is divine. <3

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Marjolein Turin
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The team :) photo: Lillian Liu Photography , model: Theresa Fractale , couture: Linda Friesen , Makeup: IG @ladyfreakshow , Hair: IG @iamdhair_stylist ^^

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LRevello
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She's like a magical, mystical queen doll come to life - like Baroque, celestial goddess - so stunning.

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Khadeja Abdallah
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one has got to be my favorite. I can't describe how regal, poweful, and divine she looks, the gold headpiece is a beautiful touch, and the glitter (is that what it is?) coming out of her hands is ah-mazing, especially with her darker skin tones. Beautiful!

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Katinka Min
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The sheen on that incredible skin, the gold...just stunning.

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Marjolein Turin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For who likes to jump right to it without searching :) photo: Lillian Liu Photography , model: Theresa Fractale , couture: Linda Friesen , Makeup: IG @ladyfreakshow , Hair: IG @iamdhair_stylist ^^

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Margaret Wesley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are ALL wonderful! Beautiful models, clothes, colors, backgrounds!!! Fabulous!!!

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Cj Randall
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

thank you for this. if you don't mind, i may try to get out of an artist's block and use it for a painting.

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Zei Kiljoy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought she looks like a gorgeous D&D Celestial or a goddess in Scion: Hero who has reached top level. Absolutely breathtaking.

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b l a n c
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

oh my gosh! i love how gold looks against darker skin tones, and the piece in her hair so gorgeous. she looks amazing ♥

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Paper A
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is so cool! We can only hope for this lvl of cinematography once children of blood and bones hits the screen. 💯

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Marky Mark
Community Member
3 years ago

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Beautiful, but a little too aggressive in photo-shopping her chest - her cleavage is almost at her throat.

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Lekha Kosuri
Community Member
3 years ago (edited)

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Not to be judgy or anything but are her boobs edited? It looks like somethings wrong idk. She looks stunning tho.

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Bored Panda reached out to the woman behind this viral Twitter thread, who wished to stay anonymous, to talk more about the presence of black women in fantasy movies. The woman, who goes by the nickname Dee, told us that she has been a fan of fantasy for many years.

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“While I adore the classics (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, etc.), the lack of faces that look like mine has always made me feel a little bit out of place,” Dee said. Some time ago, she discovered a pocket of Instagram that specialized in fantasy photography and found that there was a very small presence of black women.

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Recently, Dee has been getting back into photography and noticed that many photographers had at least one photoshoot with a black woman. “All of them were beautiful and moving,” and Dee decided it was a collection that had to be shared with her followers.

Dee believes that the reason why there are so little black women in the fantasy genre comes down to “people believing that black women simply aren't interested.” For example, “If you check the pages of the models who were included in the thread, some of them do not usually do this genre.”

#7

Black-Women-Fantasy-Photos

thewitchinghourphotography , tee.pimentel Report

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Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Really beautiful- I love how the roses and ivy are entwining her. It makes me think of the Briar Rose fairy tale.

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#8

Black-Women-Fantasy-Photos

anniebertramphoto , Theresa Report

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Jayne Kyra
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like she would give me a quest and as a prize I would be able to summon a wild animal to aid me in battle.

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But as far as photography in general, Dee is convinced it is “an issue for the media industry as a whole.” Even though it has been improving over the years as more and more women of color have been making waves in the modeling industry, there’s still a long way to go.

It doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be done about it. “Simply expand your portfolio beyond the usual casting, and photograph black women as well,” Dee suggests.

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She also said a photographer has to learn how to photograph dark skin. “Please. Even in high fashion photography, mistakes are being made because people do not bother to adapt to our skin.”

Every photographer in Dee’s thread showed that it can be done, so she urges photographers to do their research and simply make the effort. “I have to emphasize that it really isn’t a big step.”

After all, all artists should be open to learning new ways to improve and expand their range.

#14

Black-Women-Fantasy-Photos

Photographer: @danielamajic_
Model: @hillarywebster 
Make-up and hair: @kireimakeup 

danielamajic_ , Hillary Webster Report

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b l a n c
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this one is so magical, she looks just a fairy princess. very elegant and majestic

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