#i decided to make melina's suit white so i made a few changes from the pencilled version

[thaisibir]

Widow fam then and now (inked)

(pencilled version)

[zachsreaderinserts]

Crash ‘N’ Run

ship: basicallyidowrk x female!reader x fourzeroseven

warnings: homophobia, racism, it's the 50s babe what do you expect, inspired by a webcomic called rock and riot

"This is complete and utter bullshit." Marcel raged, kicking an empty can angrily. I watched him from the sidewalk as he stomped around. Scotty was attempting to calm him down, following him around as he paced.

I couldn't help the disappointed sigh that left me as I buried my head into my knees.

Being in a relationship with two guys wasn't as easy as it seemed. For one, there are many comments about me being a "whore" for dating two men, as well as Marcel and Scotty being called "cuckolds". Two, because we're an interracial couple, we get even more flack for breaking society's roles on us.

And because of those two reasons, we couldn't go to prom together.

We weren't the only ones either. There were Craig and Tyler, a gay couple; Evan and Jonathan, an interracial gay couple; and Anthony and Melina, an interracial couple. We all were rejected from being able to go to prom.

Unwilling to face the principal's wrath, we retreated to Marcel's cul de sac, where he currently was raging his ass off.

"Marcel, Marcel!" Scotty comforted his boyfriend, quickly calming him while I sulked on the sidewalk. After a quiet few moments, my boyfriends joined me on the ground.

"This fucking blows." Scotty murmured, holding my hand. I nodded solemnly, leaning onto his side. I felt Marcel's hand on my back, which meant his arm was around Scotty. "I wish people would just accept us."

"We knew what we were getting into when we got together," Marcel whispered, rubbing my shoulder lovingly. "I just wanted a night with the two most beautiful people in the world."

"Shut up." I grinned, slapping his chest lightly. "That's so cheesy." We all sighed together, enjoying one another's presence.

But that was when I got the idea.

"What would happen if we somehow got into prom and got caught?" The two of them gave me a confused look. "Like, what are the repercussions?"

"Suspension, maybe?" Scotty thought it over, moving his hand from my own to my waist, his letterman jacket providing warmth. "I mean, we aren't seniors, nor are we troublemakers..."

"Don't lie to her, Scot." Marcel teased, grinning softly. "She knows us enough to know that we're anything but angels."

"Then let's go to prom," I suggested, smiling in excitement. Marcel smile changed into a frown once more.

"You heard the principal. No dates that are homosexual or interracial are allowed." I turned my body to face my boyfriends, grinning with mischief.

"Since when did we decide some fat fuck was gonna dictate how we get to spend our Saturday nights?" Scotty's face lit up with hope while Marcel's lit up with boldness. "I'm sick and tired of being shoved around by some balding white man. I'm gonna crash the fuck out of that prom." Scotty sat up, grinning handsomely.

"What's the plan, babe?"

---

"I can't believe we're crashing prom together!" Melina sang happily, thumbing through dresses. "I mean, I knew you were rebellious, but I didn't think you were this rebellious!"

"We all want a night out, so a night out is what we're gonna get." I declared, finding a sparkly f/c dress. It puffed out at the waist, reminding me of a princess dress. "I want that one." I plucked it off the rack, holding it up to my body.

"Oh hell yeah." Melina chirped, looking me over. "Go try it on!"

After wrestling with the zipper, I looked in the mirror, pleased with how I looked. I normally looked like an innocent teenager, but this dress made me feel like a glamorous, rich woman. Give me pearls and I'll knock off the socks of every straight man in the county.

"Y/n, are you done yet?" Melina asked, knocking on my dressing room door. I peeped it open, seeing her yellow, sweetheart dress. "Oh my God."

"You look great!" I squealed, causing her to blush. "Anthony is going to pass out when he sees you."

"Shut up." She nudged me, shaking her head. "You're a riot."

"I know." I winked at her, closing the door.

---

"You look wonderful, Y/n." My older sister, Ryb, complimented me. "Mom would've loved to see you."

"I'm sure wherever she is, she's proud of me." I retouched my lipstick, looking in my vanity mirror. "I'll call you if we get arrested."

"Knowing you, you'll find your way out of it." She teased, taking a photo of me. The doorbell rang, causing me to grow nervous. "That must be your boys. I'll go let them in." As she walked away, I looked myself over one last time.

I was really about to do this. I was about to crash my junior prom. And somehow, the only thing that made me nervous was Scotty and Marcel's reactions.

But as I descended from upstairs and saw their reactions, I knew that there was truly nothing to be nervous about.

"Holy shit." Scotty cursed while Marcel just gaped at me. I couldn't help but gasp at their appearance.

Scotty's unkempt hair was brushed neatly, going very well with his grey suit and f/c bow tie.

Marcel's hair was gelled to create a masculine look, his scruff shaved which made him look older in his black suit and f/c skinny tie.

It took me a moment to remember that these handsome boys were dating me.

"Hey, guys." I meekly smiled, going down the stairs. They stayed silent, still staring at me. The flashing of Ryb's camera brought them out of their stupor.

"Y/n, you look stunning." Marcel smiled, visibly awestruck. "Like, damn."

"Wow." Scotty murmured, cupping my face gently. My face went hot at their attention and I began to giggle shyly.

"You guys clean up nice," I whispered, smoothing out both of their suits. Marcel held my hand to his heart, tearing up slightly.

"If you guys are done being sappy, I'd like to take some pictures." Ryb cut in, making us chuckle. After doing ridiculous poses with one another, we made it out to my car. As I turned on the engine, Scotty leaned in from the back seat.

"So, we're having post-prom sex after this, right?"

"Oh, hell yeah." Marcel and I nodded in agreement as I pulled out from my driveway. "My house?"

"Where else?" I quipped, speeding out of my neighborhood. After a few minutes of driving, we reached the school parking lot. Waiting there for us was Melina, Anthony, Evan, Jonathan, Craig, Tyler, and a lot more people. "Uh..."

"It's all our friends!" Scotty pointed out as we parked the car. I stepped out, recognizing the faces around me. Everyone went silent, smiling proudly.

Gay couples, lesbian couples, mixed couples, couples of all sorts surrounded the few cars in the parking lot. I couldn't help the excited smile that was on my face as I climbed onto the hood of my car.

"I can tell many of you are here for the revolution." Various cheers erupted from the crowd as they looked up at me. "That's perfect. Because we're done being docile. We're done listening to this stupid principal and what he thinks is right for us! I say fuck the norm!" The cheers were slowly becoming louder. "Fuck the homophobic assholes! Fuck the racist assholes! Fuck everyone who says what you can and can't do! Are we gonna take this bullshit or are we gonna riot?"

"Riot!" A booming cheer rose over the parking lot, causing me to giggle with adrenaline.

"That's right, baby! Let's go fuck this prom up!"

And with that, we burst through the entrance of prom, quickly slinking into the crowd. The teachers lost us as we all split up to go wreak havoc.

I spotted the picture booth and immediately grabbed Marcel and Scotty's arms.

"C'mon!" I squealed, dragging them over to pose in front of the cameraman. We did one normal picture before doing stupid poses with one another. I gave the man a twenty before swiping the polaroids off of him and continuing to dash through the prom. Students were watching as we all made our mark, cheering us on.

I made my way to the stage, getting ahold of the microphone.

"I want you all to know that this is a revolution! And we won't be stopped!" I yelled, before turning around and grabbing Scotty's face.

I gave him a forceful kiss before turning to Marcel and giving him an equally passionate smooch. After a moment, I turned back to the mic, slightly breathless.

"And to this stupid motherfucking principal, suck my left tiddy!" I sent out a graceful middle finger before the three of us ran off again. Though this time, we ran out of the gym.

I giggled happily as we circled the school and went back to the parking lot. Marcel was practically skipping, swinging his intertwined hands as we rushed out. Scotty's high pitched laugh pierced the air, his giddiness similar to a child's.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" He squealed, dropping our hands to run. I followed in suit, picking up my dress so I wouldn't trip. Marcel and Scotty were easily further ahead of me, which was a telltale sign that I was gonna be the rotten egg this time.

As we reached the clean car, we all stopped to catch our breath again. I bent over the trunk, laying flat on my stomach to try and calm down.

"That's a pretty sight," Scotty smirked, looking at me. Realizing my compromising position, I gave him the middle finger.

"You're unbelievable." He laughed again, straightening up his suit. "What do we do now?"

"Let's go get milkshakes." I heaved myself up, stretching.

"Then victory sex?" I snorted, looking at the two loves of my life.

"Then we'll have victory sex." Both of them fist pumped the air before high fiving, making me snicker again.

"Get in the car, you dorks."

[felicismagic18873]

Beyond the Blaze (6)

Summary: 4 Years old, Alyssa Potter finds her life taking a magical turn as she steps into a world of cute green giants, talking robots and misunderstood aliens. All of it is almost enough to make her forget the probable destruction of her own world.

"What are you doing!!!!"

"You...YOU FREAK!!"

"Aunt, You're hurting me"

Alyssa shivered a bit and snuggled back into the couch. An absent hand caressed her arm where her Aunts grip had left a bruise, it felt like it'd been such a long time ago but the memory was still fresh and haunting. Her Aunt had never been particularly gentle with her, unlike her uncle, but that day, that day she meant to hurt her. She wanted to hurt her and Alyssa could almost feel how much she wanted to.

It was horrifying.

It was horrifying and heartbreaking. Because at the end of the day she was her Aunt. She was Alyssa's Aunt. Yes, She didn't love Alyssa and Alyssa didn't love her. Alyssa didn't love her like she loved Melina but she trusted her on some level. Even knowing that her Aunt wanted her to live in a cupboard, some part of Alyssa still trusted her and that horrible day it broke.

Her trust broke and some part of her, some bright bubbly part of her was tainted with a splash of fear. Not of her powers but of the consequences of using them. A fear of harsh hands and judging eyes. A fear that made it difficult to breathe when she saw the gun-like thing inside Tony's hand. No. It was actually the suppressed anger on his face that made her realize what she'd done.

She'd broken the elevator. She'd disobeyed Jarvis and she could have seriously injured him.

Alyssa's lip wobbled, "A...Are you okay, Mister Jarvis?" She looked at the ceiling, imagining that that's where Jarvis lived.

"I am perfectly alright, Miss Potter."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" She rushed on, " I didn't mean to do that, I swear! It just...it just happened. Things like this happen to me sometimes."

She waited with bated breath and wide eyes. A second passed, then another.

"You didn't hurt me, Little Miss. Rest be assured I have many safeguards to protect me from real threats."

A breath of relief escaped her lips, Alyssa wrapped an arm around herself. With her other hand, she touched the screen, flinching a little when it turned bright white instead. It was like the gun-like thing Tony had had.

There had been something in his expression at that time, a sort of fear that'd convinced her to hide that she'd done it. So, She had kept her mouth mum trying not to bring attention to herself.

But then, he'd knelt in front of her and she'd understood. She'd realized that Tony was fearful for her not of her. And that changed things, he was worried. Only Melina had ever been really worried about her. So she'd decided to tentatively trust him.

And so far, it seemed like it was the right decision. He'd talked to her and he'd listened. Even when he was a little scared when she told him that she was from somewhere else, he didn't scream. He didn't hurt her. He just waited for her to explain and accepted her answer when she gave it (even though she could tell he didn't believe it) and that made all the difference.

She looked at the elevator door through which Tony had left, she was starting to severely dislike the said door because it allowed Tony and Bruce to leave her alone. Not that she needed someone to babysit her, No. She was a big girl and she could take care of herself. After all, she did so when uncle or aunt left her alone.

It should work out the same way here but it wasn't. Maybe it was because she was in a strange place, she just really wanted someone to stay with her.

Alyssa shook her head and ran her delicate fingers over the projection again. The white color disappeared and various boxes popped up instead. They looked like the channels on the telly but smaller and silent.

She pressed her finger on one that looked like the channel her uncle used to watch but there a blonde man fighting some weird animals. The screen slipped from under her finger and flew over to the other side of the couch.

Alyssa groaned a little, she didn't really know what she was doing. She still had to learn how to use the flying screens but she wanted them to work already.

She crawled across the couch and touch the box again, a lot more gently this time.

The box grew larger and took over the whole screen. Alyssa leaned back to watch.

"It was at this point that the order to fire the nuke towards NewYork was issued..."

-----------------------

Bruce still wasn't fully comfortable at the tower. It wasn't a surprise, he wasn't comfortable anywhere. Not in the small hospitals in India nor in the big lavish laboratories at Sheild. Still, the tower was better than the aforementioned places. It wasn't that Tony didn't try or that Bruce felt uneasy around him, him being around actually helped a lot.

It was the constant paranoia that stayed with him, the constant anger about what he'd become and the constant fear of hurting someone that made him uncomfortable. Though it helped to know that right now there was someone in the tower that could at least hinder him, hinder not stop because nothing could really stop the other guy.

The only reason he hadn't packed his bags and left immediately was the decision to allow Loki to regain his strength while Thor made sure that all the weapons made by the Tesseract had been destroyed. They needed everyone here to make sure that one Loki stayed put and two to stay ready in case Loki had some other hidden card to play.

But while he was here, he wanted to make sure that the kid Hulk had dragged into this mess made her way home. The same kid who technically didn't exist. On records that is. Yeah, it was baffling but it was what it was. The kid had no record, Alyssa Potter didn't exist anywhere. The face search result showed some 30% to 40% matches but they weren't her.

Alyssa Potter had no birth records, no dental records, no missing report and even the town Tony had put down ( probably after asking her) didn't exist. Either it was all some complex convoluted lie or there was something deeper going on. Maybe she was a part of some witness protection program?

"BFG, your Sophie is a dimension traveling elevator blowing wizard mutant."

-or it could be that.

"What?" Bruce turned his chair towards the resident genius who'd also been sitting in his chair going through all the data JARVIS had computed.

"You heard me," He threw the wrench in his hand in the air, catching it midair. "She is a dimension traveling mutant. It either that or she is simply a few screws short a motherboard."

Bruce almost pointed out that the expression wasn't quite right but thought better of it. A dimension-hopping mutant?

Somehow that wasn't entirely impossible to believe. Thankfully  Tony decided to explain. Unfortunately, Hulk didn't like that his newest friend had been in danger. Halfway through Bruce had to hold up a hand to stop Tony and take in a few deep breaths before allowing him to continue.

Tony being the weirdly knowing guy pulled up a projection showing Alyssa's zoomed-in face at the end of the wild incidence that had taken place while Bruce was busy playing in the lab.

Bruce nodded his head and Tony swiped the screen away.

"So she said that she was from a different Earth and that her friend had to send her away to keep her safe?"

"To keep her 'gift' safe but pretty much yeah. "

"Okay," Bruce pushed his glasses upwards, leaning back into the chair. " Do you think there is a chance that that's the explanation she made up in her mind. Kids do that sometimes to overcome traumatic experiences."

Tony looked thoughtful, "That actually...makes so much more sense." He then groaned, "Why didn't I think you that! I knew there is a reason I loved you, Brucey bear."

Bruce smiled a little, " I thought that was because of my- and I quote- 'work on anti-electron collision'"

"That too obviously," Tony waved a hand in the air. " So you think she made it up?"

"It could be true. From what I observed in my limited interaction, I think she might have been mistreated for being a mutant." Seeing Tony nod his head in agreement, he continued. " Maybe Melina was some family friend was saw the opportunity and decided to send her away but couldn't come with for some reason."

"Makes sense." Tony turned away to fiddle with some sort of design displayed on the work table, "What do we do now?"

"We wait I guess." Bruce said thoughtfully, " And when the things settle down a little then we can come back to what should be done."

Tony hmm'd in agreement. That was that. Now what to do with Loki. He left his suit guarding Loki so that should work for now but they needed to fix shifts, there was no way he was letting the kid near Loki again.

-----------------------

With Thor's arrival came a wave of conflicting emotions, hate, rage, loathing, disgust, betrayal and....and a disgusting amount of longing.

"Brother," Thor inclined his head towards him, sorrow and conflict coated the word.

Loki looked away, he couldn't even bear to look at him. It was too much of a struggle to figure out what he felt.  What was real and what was the result of the destruction the mad titan wrecked in his mind.

For a second he wished he hadn't snapped out of the entrance when the green beast slammed him on the floor, at least then he didn't have to deal with this painful process of trying to recover his own mental faculties. Pathetic.

"What is the Man of Iron's suit doing here?"

Loki saw the archer move towards him, he could almost feel the anger in his soul. It was delicious. "And where is Natasha? Jarvis?"

Loki almost rolled his eyes, he wondered if they realized how stupid it had been for them to leave him with the spider as a guard. The enticing woman had slipped away after threatening him to stay put. As if she could stop him if he wanted to leave.

At least Stark was smart enough to leave his suit on guard, it was almost insulting how much they underestimated him.

"Miss Romanov exited the building soon after your departure, Sir issued the order for the suit to stand guard after our little guest managed to find her way to Mr.Odinson."

Barton let out a string of curses, Thor's hand tightened on Mjolnir. Loki felt a little spark of amusement at the situation. If he wasn't in a tremendous amount of pain already, he would've considered-provoking them. Instead, he just chose to relax his muscles as much as he could and tried to enjoy their panic.

They raved a little about what could have induced the spider to take such an action then they threatened him again-boring- before deciding to go talk to Stark. And they left him alone. Again.

Dunderheads the lot of them. With these sorts of decisions, it was a wonder their planet wasn't overtaken yet.

-----------------------

Once they knew Romanov skedaddled it didn't take long to find out exactly what happened. Apparently, Thor decided that he'd changed his mind about leaving the scepter on their greedy old Earth and took Barton with him to get the scepter back.

They left Romanov in charge who made a run for it after she got a call from Shield asking for immediate backup.

Tony felt smug and made a show of it, he knew someone messed up and for the first time that someone was their resident spider. Now she didn't get to lecture him about him being unresponsible. Pot, Kettle.

"Sir, it is almost time for lunch."

"And since when did I program you to become my mother, Jarvis?'"

"Since you asked me to remind you of lunch so Little Miss Potter doesn't have to eat alone."

Tony cursed, "Right, the kid. Okay em, What did she do in the past...how many hours?"

"Four hours. She played with the projections for some time, took a nap and as of now she is busy looking down the balcony"

His fingers stilled on the screen he was working on, "Looking down the window? What the hell does that mean?" He could almost imagine the kid dangling on the side of the building, thrown through the window,- No, Loki was locked downstairs.

"She is looking through the camera view, sir."

He grinned, "Oh, right. Never should've doubted you, buddy."

"It is perfectly alright sir."

Tony stretched out his arms, taking the opportunity to push the smoothie Dum-E made off the table into the trash, it had a weird texture to it that just screamed motor oil.

"Nah, it really is not. Let's go see what our resident Giant and pixie wants to eat. Tell Bruce to take his beautiful ass to the penthouse would you, he's down in the bio lab."

"Consider it done, Sir."

Tony hummed standing up he cast a last look at ideas he had for damage control, the city was pretty much trashed and it could use some help from Stark Industries.

The vague plan for a department for help was slowly solidifying into something concrete in his mind as he made his way to the penthouse.

The kid was sitting cross-legged on the floor, huh she seemed to really like sitting on the ground, Tony had on idea why. A projection was playing on the ground, he couldn't see what she was looking at until he got a little bit closer.

"The hospitals, of course, faced an overload of patients this last week but we are happy to announce that the survivors of midtown building leveling are making a steady recovery. Experts are of the opinion that if it wasn't for the actions of Iron man the death count would be in millions not Hundreds. Tony Stark self-proclaimed genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist-"

"Not really sure you should watch that Lilo, pretty gory stuff on there" Tony announced his presence, casually signaling Jarvis to change the channel to a list of Disney movies before the clip of him carrying the nuke into the blasted hole played again.

Alyssa tilted her head a bit, "Mister Jarvis said it was okay. It's em cens-censored?"

Tony made an agreeing noise at the back of his throat falling on the couch, his eyes still fixed on her.

Alyssa stared down at the screen with a frown rubbing a hand over a particular title, Tony leaned forward. "Its 'Lilo and stitch', I presumed you haven't seen it since you didn't understand why I called you lilo."

There was no answer, after a while Alyssa raised her eyes to meet Tony's. "Can I ask you something?"

Tony raised his eyebrows, "Sure?"

The kid opened her mouth before closing it, she looked thoughtful for a while before her shoulders relaxed," I was wondering what a playmobile was."

Tony's face must have conveyed his confusion because the kid rushed to explain."The woman on the news channel, she called you a playmobile f-lan-to-pist?"

Tony heard a distant wheeze, ah Bruce must have arrived. He kept his gaze on the kid, "Ä Philanthropist," He stressed, " is a person who helps humanity by a generous donation of money to good causes.

"And what about a playmobile?"

Tony suppressed a smile, "Aaah, let's leave that alone until you're let's say...fifty." There was a laugh from behind them, Tony turned his head a little and winked at Bruce who had a hand over his mouth.

Alyssa humphed," But I wanna play mobile, what is it?"

Tony looked around trying to find something to get out of the situation, it was like a bulb lit up in his mind or rather in his case an arc reactor. He took out his phone and handed it to her, "That's a mobile."

Alyssa turned it over in her hand casting a critical glance over it looking unimpressed, "So you play with it? Like one of Dudley's games?"

"Yep, "Tony answered, mentally cataloging the new name she had provided.

Alyssa scrunched her nose," I like books better."

"It has books on it,"

Alyssa looked at him with incredulity, "Books on this?" Tony nodded. Alyssa made a face, "I don't think so."

"Well your loss, Kiddo."Tony tried to take back the phone only for the kid to hold it away from him looking suspicious as if Tony was trying to trick her.

"I'll make you a new one, come on Kid. I'll even make it pink. Gimme back my phone."

Alyssa sucked on her lip handing over the phone, "I like red and gold."

Tony grinned almost seeing the face Bruce must be making, "We'll get along juuust fine, Kid."

Bruce sat on the couch next to him his face still holding some mirth, "Don't let it get to your head."

Tony leaned back with a smile, "Too late, it already did."

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Iconic Black Sitcoms of the 90s: A Visual Homage to Their Style and Influence

http://fashion-trendin.com/iconic-black-sitcoms-of-the-90s-a-visual-homage-to-their-style-and-influence/

Iconic Black Sitcoms of the 90s: A Visual Homage to Their Style and Influence

Learning about my Blackness began at home — in my living room, seated in front of the television. During primetime, I’d sit with my dad and watch UPN, or as my dad called it, “You People’s Network,” where I’d fall in love with the characters on Eve, Moesha, The Parkers and Girlfriends. Growing up in an urban-suburb, I’d always daydreamed about life in the big city, and watching the characters on these shows transported me there for a few hours each night.

Left to right:Whitley: Alessandra Rich suit, Off-White x Jimmy Choo shoes, DMI via Amazon Fashion earringsDwayne: BLK MKT vintage top, Maryam Nassir Zadeh pants, Converse x J.W. Anderson shoes, Oliver Peoples sunglassesDenise: Stella McCartney top and bottoms, vintage Chanel belt bag via What Goes Around Comes Around, L’Enchanteur earrings, Chanel shoesJaleesa: Go All Out Screenprinting sweatshirt via Amazon Fashion, Christian Louboutin shoes, Jennifer Fisher earringsFreddie: Gucci cardigan, polo, skirt, shoes and socks

The television of this time — the 1990s and early 2000s — was ripe with Black lives and localities. Shows like A Different World, Girlfriends, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Sister, Sister had complex characters who each presented their own universes. Anyone who tuned into these shows could be exposed to the many different ways of being Black. In one evening, viewers could travel from Detroit to Bel-Air with the click of a remote control, which was critical in the years following the L.A. riots and the media blitz of the O.J. Simpson trial. In sitcoms, unlike in the news, we could see the power and diversity of the Black family unit and see that Black success was possible.

Thirty-seven-year-old Insecure Director Melina Matsoukas came of age during the height of the Black primetime sitcom. Over the course of an hour-long call for this story, we spoke about the shows that impacted us as women of color, and for Matsoukas, how these shows influence her work today in modern television and entertainment. “Having black casts and having black stories [is] a way to educate and bring about understanding, hopefully to begin to end the ignorance that infiltrates this country so deeply.”

One way Matsoukas paints these stories is through style. She notes that “fashion is really another character.” For Matsoukas, clothes play a pivotal role in moving along a plot and exposing a narrative. Clothes can tell the audience a great deal about who the characters are, where they’re from, or where they’re headed. We also discuss how fashion challenges viewers to understand that Blackness is not monolithic. In the Black sitcom specifically, styling, location and music all played a vital role in casting a positive light on Black life.

In one of my favorite episodes of 90s sitcom Martin, the character Sheneneh and her friend Laquita compete with Gina and Pam for inclusion in a Detroit social club. Pam and Gina step outside their usual wardrobe realm of trendy 1990s silhouettes in an attempt to dress like the elder members of Detroit’s social elite (think coral and pearls). They go shopping and play dress-up while trying to find outfits that make them look more affluent. When Pam and Gina arrive at the club in their muted outfits, Gina squeals in excitement and Pam reminds her that “this is where we belong.”

Much to their surprise, Sheneneh and her friend Laquita arrive dressed in an amplified version of their standard “ghetto fabulous” attire: Sheneneh wears a leather motorcycle jacket, sneakers and a plaid skirt, while Laquita looks like she’s just stepped out of Lil’ Kim’s 1996 “Crush on You” music video. In the end, Sheneneh’s authenticity and charisma show Pam and Gina that they don’t have to change who they are to fit into the club. By juxtaposing Pam and Gina’s more toned-down looks with Sheneneh and Laquita’s homage to hip hop royalty, the styling of the episode articulated class difference, generational divides and taught the viewers a great deal more about the women portrayed on screen than the script alone.

When stylist Shiona Turini pitched a fashion-centric celebration of iconic black 90s sitcoms — the work of which you see throughout this piece — I began to think differently about fictional wardrobes of characters like Sheneneh, for whom style was everything. These clothes weren’t just clothes; they were portals. For Shiona, these shows, with their casts and their clothes, were also gateways into how she viewed the world. “As a young girl in Bermuda, I was culturally nurtured off of them,” she told me. “I dreamed of a life outside of my tiny island that could be even a fraction as fabulous as the lives I saw on Fresh Prince, Girlfriends or A Different World.” And now, as a grown woman? “They serve as foundational references for my everyday.”

Left to right:Hillary: Alessandra Rich dress, Off-White x Jimmy Choo shoes, Lele Sadoughi earringsWill: models own wardrobe Jazz: Valentino track suit and shoes, Fallon necklace, Andy Wolf sunglasses, Dior ringCarlton: Valentino shirt, Coach sweater, Miaou pants, Christian Louboutin shoesAshley: Chanel top and skirt, Dior bag, SJP shoes

In revisiting my nostalgia for these shows, I was also reminded of the stumbles some of their legacies have taken. I was reminded, for instance, that Tisha Campbell-Martin (who played Gina on Martin) sued — and won — a sexual harassment case against her co-star Martin Lawrence. The two appear to have since made amends, and Campbell-Martin has even signed on for a reboot. That this happened, however, is now embedded within my fond memories of the show.

Let’s also not forget the elephant in the room: Do you know how hard it is to talk about television in the 1990s and not talk about The Cosby Show? In my chat with Melina Matsoukas, we found ourselves fumbling over how to articulate our fondness for A Different World, a collegiate-centered spinoff of The Cosby Show, as well as the excellence of Debbie Allen (who directed both) without mentioning the nuclear connection between the two.

In all honesty, you’d have a hard time finding a young Black person who had access to a television who wasn’t in some way influenced by The Cosby Show, but we can’t totally separate the goodness of the show without dealing with some of the concrete realities of Bill Cosby’s legacy. I know I haven’t been able to parse this out yet. In Cosby’s case, as with Martin Lawrence’s — as with any of the men in entertainment who’ve been accused of sexual harassment and/or abuse — celebrating the positive impacts of their associated shows, casts, crew, fashion (the works) means reconciling with that fact these men have cast shadows across otherwise historically celebrated moments in television.

But wait: are they unilaterally celebrated? When I spoke with Mara Brock Akil, the writer and producer who is known for Girlfriends and most recently, BET’S scripted drama Being Mary Jane, she reflected back on the 90s and said, “It was a time in which corporate America decided to monetize our culture. It [happened] rapidly and wildly in the areas of music, fashion, and television.” She explained that networks were so pressed to squeeze together these three areas that, “in some cases, you couldn’t get a show green-lit without a black musician [acting in it].” This conversation with Akil challenged me to evacuate the comfort of nostalgia and get real.

As my chat with Mara Brock Akil shifted from phone call to text messages, she said she didn’t get a chance to talk about “any of the fun stuff.” Over text, she explained how, on Girlfriends, the characters Maya and Toni “contributed to the acceptance and celebration of weaves” and how Lynn “gave permission for black women to not have it all together but still [be] intelligent and deserving of love.” She ended our exchange by bringing it back to the transformative power of fashion: “Tracee Ellis Ross influenced a lot of Joan’s style, but it took fighting for a black woman costume designer to allow these characters to take flight.” With each layer of new information, I grew more thankful for the shows of this era, complexities and all.

Freddie from A Different World

One of the great powers of Girlfriends, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World, and Sister, Sister was that they granted Black people the chance to defy how we traditionally understood love and self-determination, too. The shows, casting, storytelling and scoring, gave us a chance to walk in pride as we shattered the limitations of stereotypes. Likewise, the fashion that brought these characters to life presented a multitude of Black identities that had not been previously showcased in mass media. And beyond fashion, as Mara Brock Akil shared, “[Black sitcoms] gave an entry point for the artists of the day… [T]he artists [who] were growing up… are better storytellers as a result.”

For a generation of creatives, these entry points granted us permission to see sisterhood, find humor, and learn that while there certainly might be complexities and adversity, there weren’t any realities too harsh to unfold with the power of courageous storytelling. These shows taught us how to style ourselves, tell our own stories, and be heard — whether on or off TV.

Kimberly Drew is the Social Media Manager for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, creator of the Tumblr “Black Contemporary Art,” and the person behind @museummammy on Instagram.

Creative Director and Stylist: Shiona Turini, Co-Stylist: Nicole Chapoteau, Photographer: Naima Green, Stylist Assistants: Mayer Campbell, Melanie Wainwright and Annisah Medinah, Hair: Yusef at Factory Downtown, Michael Warren and Kendall Dorsey, Makeup: Bob Scott for Dior Makeup at The Wall Group and Frank Lombardi, Manicure: Gracie J at Editorial Nail, Prop Stylist: Jannah Handy and Kiyanna Stewart of BLK MKT Vintage, Models: Afiya Bennett, Michelle Bessiake, Sable Boykin, Sasha Boykin, Mayer Campbell, Kendall Dorsey, Marybeth Dupain, Tirzah Evora, Samia Hampstead and Justin Segar