by Racquel Gates
about Racquel Gates
Racquel Gates is Associate Professor at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. Her research focuses on blackness and popular culture, with special attention to discourses of taste and quality. She is the author of Double Negative: The Black Image and Popular Culture and has written numerous essays on film and media, some of which appear in Film Quarterly, Television and New Media, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Empire
Abstract: The popular television show Empire has attracted a huge following for its over-the-top storylines, memorable characters, catchy music, and distinctive fashions. In particular, Taraji P. Henson’s character “Cookie” stands out, partly for her character’s emotional complexity, as well as for her eye-catching fashions, which blend haute couture with signature markers of urban style. In this essay, Racquel Gates analyzes the ways that fashion on Empire conveys important information about race, class, and politics both on television and in American culture more broadly.