About Black Betty Boop
Who is Black Betty Boop?
Black Betty Boop, created for women, but specifically to celebrate black women, is a call to action/movement for women to be seen and represented in a powerful; yet livable duality. As an animated character, Black Betty Boop will remind women to embrace our fun-loving, young and exciting selves; while as women, she reminds us all that living in our full vulnerable and transparent truth is the most honest and powerful statement to femininity that we can pass down to younger women and girls.
The Inspiration:
The essence of Black Betty Boop, inspired by the original iconic pop culture siren Betty Boop, symbolizes that women empowerment shouldn’t be discriminative of color, and that a strong woman isn’t just an aggressive one, in fact she can be fun, free, and fabulous. Through our capsule collections, and other statement pieces we will design with the intention to permanently etch in the minds of many, for decades more to come, that a woman who is confident and assured of herself is a powerful force, and she is a healing energy to many women who may have forgotten this and needed a reminder.
How it all Started (HERstory)
Since a young girl, needing to see Black women that looked like her, in a powerful, beautiful and feminine way, Shay decorated her entire room with Betty Boop. Starting her passion project, Shay created and began selling Black Betty Boop merchandise online in 2018. Her success caught the attention of Fleischer Studios. When the opportunity to partner with Fleischer presented itself, she jumped at it. The unprecedented relationship between Shay and Fleischer was solidified in May 2022. This collaboration allows Shay to, not only further her desire as an entrepreneur, but to support and champion all women entrepreneurs and their ability to dream.
The Story behind the Icon
In the 1930s, famous cartoon artist and writer, Fleischer brothers created a cartoon character Betty Boop. She rose to fame after her appearance in the short cartoons. Betty Boop is a very famous American Pop culture icon, always clad in a red dress and white heels with an unbuttoned blouse. She has a black curled hairstyle with heavy makeup and with usual large signature red lips.
Who We Serve
This Black Betty Boop will allow women and girls to find pieces of themselves (strength, confidence, courage, boldness and femininity) and engage with her pridefully, as she embraces her femininity and shares it with the world. Passing
Creator
SHAY LEVISTER
As a lifelong lover of Betty Boop, Shay has always been inspired by her fierce and independent spirit. Shay was driven to create Black Betty Boop to immulate her personal enthusiasm and love for the icon.Through her partnership with Fleischer Studios, the original creators who produced Betty Boop, has allowed Shay to show-off an inclusive and diverse footprint of a lifelong icon.