VisualGPS Creative Trends Culture Let Black Girls Be Girls

Let Black Girls Be Girls is a campaign by UK creatives Eboni Lamine and Martha Omasoro to raise awareness around adultification bias, a pervasive issue that affects how society perceives and treats Black girls in Britain. Research from Getty Images reveals that Black girls feature in a mere 0.26% of visuals most downloaded by its customers—brands, agencies and publishers in the UK—and are four times less likely to be represented than white girls.

Adultification is based on intersecting prejudices, including systemic inequalities that disproportionately affect marginalised communities. Adultification bias for Black girls is not new and more awareness and action is needed. Language used to describe Black girls such as ‘aggressive’, ‘resilient’, and ‘mature’ has a negative impact.¹ This type of language is normalised with harmful assumptions and stereotypes associated with it. While adultification bias can impact all children, it is important to acknowledge that it specifically affects Black children in certain ways.

Getty Images' VisualGPS research reveals that ‘authentic’ visuals are pivotal in building brand trust for 97% of British consumers who relate most to visuals that look like them and their everyday lives. Meaning authentic visual storytelling that reflects diversity within Black British girlhood cultures is important to connect with UK consumers. The most popular visuals Getty Images UK customers downloaded in the last 12 months reveals significant visibility gaps—53% feature Black girls who are lighter‑skinned, have a loose curl pattern hair and of a slim build, while less than 1% of visuals show Black girls with different body types and abilities. Representation within the Black British girlhood community is more than a matter of visibility—it's about celebrating the rich diversity of Black African and Black Caribbean cultures, skin complexions and hair textures.

Points to consider when choosing visuals:

• Are you showing a range of hair textures? For example, afros, braids, curls, locs and natural textures.
• Are you representing Black girls with all body shapes, sizes and abilities to challenging narrow beauty standards for Black girls?
• Have you considered the representation of people with different skin conditions?

Both Black African and Caribbean cultures value the strength of the family household and family values. This includes multigenerational family members or their extended families, often living close by. Analysis of visuals most popular with Getty Images' UK customers in the last 12 months reveals key stereotypes around Black families—Black girls are two times less likely to be seen with fathers than mothers. However, depictions of Black girls' main interaction with fathers centres on having fun vs. learning life skills from mothers.
Family culture holds a special place in Black African and Caribbean communities, where respect for elders and the value of learning are deeply ingrained. Elders, with their wealth of life experience and wisdom, play a crucial role in imparting respect and guiding principles to the younger generations.

Points to consider when choosing visuals:

• Are you showing various family members engaging in daily activities in a shared home? (e.g., grandparents, siblings, extended families)
• Are you depicting family bonding outside the home? (e.g., day trips, leisure activities, community building experiences, day‑to‑day activities like shopping, going to the doctors, playing with pets, etc.)
• Are fathers of older Black British girls considered in your visuals? What activities are they engaged in?

With representation behind the camera equally as important as representation in front of the camera, Lamine and Omasoro are partnering with Getty Images and the BBC to support the creation of new imagery which will authentically capture and represent the nuances in Black British girls. By searching #BlackGirls, the updated BBC Kids Collection will have a broader selection of representative visuals of different experiences of Black British girlhood.

To support media, agencies and brands in more accurately representing Black girls, Getty Images has collaborated with Lamine and Omasoro to create this first‑of‑its‑kind visual guidelines for marketers and creatives on how to choose and create visuals that accurately represent Black British girls.

Sources

[1] HM Inspectorate of Probation, Jahnine Davis