Pretty For An Aboriginal Finale: We're All Superheroes

    "I just want to lift a crane and have people be scared of me."

    Pretty for an Aboriginal
    by Pretty for an Aboriginal

    Pretty For An Aboriginal

    In a perfect world Miranda Tapsell would be the star of a wildly successful rom-com, or a franchised superhero film. The Frances Ha or Jessica James of Australia, or an Aboriginal Storm in the next edition of X-Men.

    Anna Mendoza / BuzzFeed / Via 20th Century Fox / Marvel Entertainment.

    But in order to be Australia’s favourite romantic lead, Miranda has to write her own feature film because…let’s be honest, lead roles for Aboriginal actors in a rom-com aren’t all that common. But is there a shift afoot?

    In the latest episode of Pretty For An Aboriginal, Miranda and Nakkiah unpack the layers of race and racism in Australia with Australian actors Blessing Mokgohloa (who was born in Zimbabwe), and Arka Das (Bangladesh).

    Ben King / Anna Mendoza / BuzzFeed, Don Arnold / Getty, Kevin Winter, Getty. / Via Getty Images.

    They consider how TV is (or is not) reflecting their lived experience, and trade superhero fantasies, leading Miranda to remark that such roles are attractive because "in the superhero model people can believe that people in minority groups [...] can achieve greatness".

    And they explore the differences between the black immigrant experience and the black Indigenous experience in Australia. Is there a point of connection, or just layers of difference and hardship?

    Listen now:

    1. Click the embedded link above to stream the show directly from this page.

    2. Pretty For An Aboriginal is available in Apple podcasts.

    3. Be sure to subscribe, so you never miss a new episode! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

    Questions? Comments? Email nicola.harvey@buzzfeed.com

    Credits:

    BuzzFeed Series Producer & Editor: Nicola Harvey

    Producer & Editor: Cinnamon Nippard (Audiocraft)

    Audio Mix: Adam Connolly (Audiocraft)

    BuzzFeed Designers: Ben King / Dennis Huynh

    BuzzFeed Photographer & Video Producers: Nick Wray & Anna Mendoza

    BuzzFeed Director of Audio: Eleanor Kagan