The Rise of Belle from Tumblr

Abstract

I followed Belle (@bellecosby, @bonitaapplebelle), or Hanna, from Twitter to Tumblr. Her presence on the blog was thoughtful, defiant, playful, and informed. Looking through Hanna’s posts as Belle from Tumblr, she struck me as “Tumblr famous” – a type of microcelebity that uses Tumblr to connect with an audience and maintain popularity among other Tumblr users. Well before the #MeToo movement had caught fire in 2017, Hanna was ready and willing to challenge mainstream celebrity on behalf of the voiceless. On Twitter she laid out arguments to challenge the impulse to victim-blame when sexual assault survivors do go public challenging the impulse to victim-blame when sexual assault survivors do go public. This chapter traces how Belle’s online community was an opportunity for relationally understanding herself and expressing her identity to specific Tumblr networks, among like-minded peers that also confront social issues.

Citation

Brown, M.L. and Phifer, H. (2018), "The Rise of Belle from Tumblr", Abidin, C. and Brown, M.L. (Ed.) Microcelebrity Around the Globe, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 121-130. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78756-749-820181012