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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!

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.

#5

Black-Women-Fantasy-Photos

Photographer: @defotograafsanne
Model: @modelsensi
Make-up and costume: @candymakeupartist

defotograafsanne , Sensemielja Sumter Report

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klynch4 avatar
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is awesome from the body paint to her stunning headdress. I would really love to see a television series focused on Egyptian mythology.

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candymakeupartist_1 avatar
candy makeup artist
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yes you're right! this is the story behind the picture : ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Iʂιʂ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As the 42 parts of Osiris dismembered body were being prepared and salved by the priests of Heliopolis, Isis prepared herself for the resurrection ceremony. One last time she would copulate with Osiris and bring forth a son. Isis would ensure that her husband would endure in the afterlife. As their son Horus was to be born, he would avenge his fathers death and fight Seth. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Using her magical words, she was able to make Osiris whole; neither living nor dead, Osiris had become a mummy

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¯_(ツ)_/¯
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

now that right there is a powerful looking women-dont mess with her!

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

The team :) Photography: Sanne van Bergenhenegouwen @defotograafsanne , Costume and makeup : Joyce Spakman @candymakeupartist, model: Sensemielja Sumter @modelsensi

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

FIRE! The makeup & the costuming! Listen! Love it! I am saying this from a place with lots of makeup & costumes for Carnival- so I know! Fire!

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

Astonishing...! and scary. I know she's supposed to be Isis, but she reminds me of the Hindu Goddess Kali. Great work.

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

An incarnation of Egyptian goddess Bastet! Love the details! Such an incredibly beautiful photo!

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Janine Hunt-Jackson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Breathtaking! Of course, this can be said about each of the photos I've seen so far.

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Hazel Gray
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think she is supposed to be Bast, the egyptian goddes of cats but im not sure. Beautiful costume, make up and hair. The model is also stunning. Great job overall

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

i love all the unique colours against her skin, and the gold is dazzling. she looks marvellous! ♥

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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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klynch4 avatar
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
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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
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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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