Pretty For An Aboriginal

In this episode Nakkiah and Miranda talk to acclaimed stage and screen actor Shari Sebbens about code switching, why Taika Waititi is the mentor aspiring filmmakers of colour need, and why accents are such strong signifiers of race. They each have funny and confronting personal stories regarding assumptions made about race and cultural identity on the basis of accent. They’ll discuss what accents tell us about current societal hierarchies in Australia. Is the ability to change one’s accent a source of freedom? And what do you risk losing if you can and do sink into another voice?

In this episode Miranda Tapsell and Nakkiah Lui, share stories with former Dolly editor Marina Go about perceptions of beauty in Australia, and discuss how beauty is being defined on Aussie TV and in magazines. They also explore how and why Instagram has opened up a space of freedom for women of colour. Marina Go became editor of the iconic teenage Australian magazine Dolly at the age of 23. She, like Nakkiah and Miranda, learned about her body, sex and relationships by ripping open the sealed section of the magazine every month. Reading Dolly was a defining experience for many young Australian women, but the girls shown in the magazine did not look like our hosts and guest. The majority were “blonde and blue-eyed”, recalls Marina. “Growing up I never, ever saw anyone who looked like me … that’s why, when I became the editor I was determined to make sure there were women or girls who looked like I did. “I wanted girls who looked like me to see themselves.” 

In this frank episode, Nakkiah Lui and Miranda Tapsell talk to LA-based, Melbourne model Emily Sears about the begetting of power through provocative imagery, why sexy women are feared, and why sexy black women are feared even more. In 2016, Emily made headlines when, upon receiving unsolicited graphic DMs from (mostly male) followers, she started to respond by sending back photos of their mothers, found on social media accounts. Or forwarding the messages to the sender’s partners, wives or girlfriends.Now, Emily uses her significant social media presence – 4.2 million followers on Instagram and 160,000 on Twitter – to advocate for body positivity, and push back on what she sees as a culture of pervasive male entitlement in social media.Follow our hosts @nakkiahlui & @missmirandatap 

In this wide-ranging interview with American writer and essayist Roxane Gay, Nakkiah and Miranda trade stories about their mutual love of ice skating; compare experiences with weight loss and surgery; and consider why fat women aren’t allowed to be sexual in popular culture, yet are festishised and sexualised without question. And they tackle sexism in Australia.

When Nakkiah and Miranda drew up their interview wish list for the podcast it was dominated by African American actors, writers and musicians. Like so many other young Australians, Miranda and Nakkiah have looked to the US for inspiration. In politics, protest and art, the African American community has shown talented young Indigenous Australians a way forward — towards success, change and brilliance. In this episode Miranda and Nakkiah chat with Australian actor and <i>Orange Is The New Black</i> star Yael Stone about heroes, allies, cultural cringe, fame and how we tell stories and make art about life in Australia that will inspire a younger generation.

Rapper, writer, actor and record label boss Adam Briggs knows how to get work, be heard, and get paid. In other words, he knows how to hustle. In the first episode of Pretty For An Aboriginal, Briggs, Nakkiah and Miranda give our listeners tips for cutting through the bullshit and getting ahead.When Briggs joined with fellow rapper Trials to record under the moniker A.B. Original, he thought it would be a career-ending project. Their music was political, urgent and unapologetically about black Australia. But they ended up winning, as Briggs says, “a plethora of awards”. Australia is built on the presumption of meritocracy and fairness, and that if you’re talented and work hard you’ll see your name in lights. Is Briggs the exception or the new rule?Music creditsA. B. Original, "January 26",  Courtesy Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia and Golden Era Records, 2016A. B. Original, "I C U (feat. Thelma Plum)", Courtesy Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia and Golden Era Records, 2016Briggs, "Here (feat. Caiti Baker)", Courtesy of Fox Sports Australia and Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia Bad Apples Music, 2017

Nakkiah Lui and Miranda Tapsell are set to rock traditional perceptions of Indigenous Australia and challenge rigid mindsets of what women of colour can and cannot do. In our eight episode first season, we'll talk honestly about relationships, weight, dick pics and being a boss in male-dominated industries, and unpack the pervasive influence of African American popular culture and politics on young black people in Australia. We’ll discuss building a First Nations support system on social media, and examine why representation really, truly, definitely matters. Our guests will include author Roxane Gay, Orange Is The New Black’s Yael Stone, rapper and TV writer Adam Briggs, Canadian Vice presenter and activist Sarain Carson Fox, and rising Australian actors Akar Das (Lion) and Blessing Mokgohloa (Spartacus), among others. About the hosts: Nakkiah Lui is an award-winning playwright, TV writer and actor (Black Comedy, Black is the New White), columnist, and rising cultural star who is at the forefront of the new wave of young, Indigenous Australian women changing the world one Instagram post at a time. Her latest play Black is the New White was a sell-out success at the Sydney Theatre Company. Follow her at @nakkiahlui.At her side is Miranda Tapsell, an actress who does not hide in the wings when the spotlight dips. Tapsell is one of Australia’s most in-demand stage and screen actresses. Her TV credits include The Sapphires, Love Child, Redfern Now, Black Comedy and Wolf Creek; she also starred in the Sydney Theatre Company’s remarkable production of The Secret River. Follow her at @missmirandatap.