I "Found" Shanola Hampton's iconic role as #BadBitch Veronica on Shameless, a vessel of sexual liberation for myself.
Imagine the outfit on your first cable television acting role being full-on fetish gear: a leather and chainmail bra covering absolutely nothing along the chest, a cat-eye mask, and an extra-long whip. In the bedroom, you’re pegging your on-screen boyfriend who is also laced with a leather harness vest, spiked choker, and ball gag between his teeth. As he regains composure post-orgasm, his first speaking line is “That didn’t hurt half as much as I thought it would!”
Shanola Hampton as Veronica Fisher pegging her boyfriend. Shameless (US) on SHOWTIME
I wasn’t even 2 minutes into streaming the Pilot episode of Emmy Award-winning, hit SHOWTIME Network TV series Shameless (US) when the main character, Frank Gallagher, introduced his neighbor-couple/extended family Kevin (“Kev”) and Veronica (“V”) pictured at first cuddling by the fireside, then juxtapositioned fucking inside their home sex dungeon.
Growing up, I didn’t have access to premium cable channels, not only because my mom couldn’t afford the monthly subscription, but because of the fear that I would have access to watch this type of ungodly television. When I began watching Shameless as an adult back in 2017, the show was already premiering its 8th season and I had a LOT of catching up to do. Shameless (US) was an adaptation of the original UK Shameless series, however, the US casting director made a deliberate choice to swap the race of Kevin’s lover Veronica from a white woman to a Black woman; a choice that I’m ultimately grateful for! Veronica “V” Fisher, played by the leading star of NBC’s Found, Shanola Hampton, was her first recurring acting role, and throughout an 11-season run, she was still the one to watch among the slew of critically admired actors.
While Shameless is known for its outlandishness, Kev’s “cheeky” revelation during a moment of pleasure drew my eyes to V: a sexy, dreadlocked Black queer woman with a heart of gold who’s also respected in the ‘hood for her many hustles- one which included sex work camming with Kev depicting a “Slave Owner versus Slave” scene, and she was the one handing out lashings! Their sex scenes, which sold me on the show entirely, were so memorable because it was the first time I saw a brown-skinned Black woman perform Dominance over a (white male) partner on-screen.
There’s more content to view on TV than ever before; decades pass but the stories and the skin color of actors who play out those stories still center whiteness. BDSM/Kink storylines depicted on-screen are overwhelmingly unoriginal, singular episodes that “foreshadow” the Dom(minant) being an evil psychotic, capable of torturing their sub(missive) to death during a “Twisted Crime of Passion”. In reality, pleasurable Dom/sub dynamics enforce a philosophy of consensual negotiation, risk awareness, and establishing hard limits before play even begins.
BDSM relationships that continue shared agreements outside of the play space are considered a “24/7 Total Power Exchange (TPE).” Kev and V did not explicitly establish TPE on Shameless, but their lives certainly integrated elements of an alternative sexual lifestyle. Their queered relationship dynamic allowed them to effectively communicate and experience the fullness of sexuality without shame (the show’s title is “Shameless”, after all).
As the series progressed, Kev and V continued navigating life as a kinky couple, exploring the benefits and drawbacks of having kids, complicated pregnancies, and the extent of a mother’s unconditional love. Legendary actress Vanessa Bell Calloway played Veronica’s mom, Carol, and her familial relationship with son-in-law Kev quickly took an unusual turn when V had trouble conceiving... Even though the series ended in 2021, I still won’t spoil what happened next! All I’ll say is that Kev and V were devoted to the biological fertility process by any means necessary!
One big, happy, southside family. Shameless (US) on SHOWTIME
This “Ode to V” came at a time when my body was flowing with the changes of my mid-20s growing pains, and my mind was opened to a world of possibility within the Sexuality field. As a teen growing up in a sexually repressed home, I couldn’t even take the bus to a grocery store by myself without parental suspicion of me canoodling with a secret lover in the“Frozen Food" aisle. Now, as a grown-ass adult, exploring my body through vast amounts of sex knowledge, along with kinky activity helps me understand that enthusiastic consent allows space for erotic pleasure to manifest in many forms.
Usually, a Black femme character like V is rarely ever written to experience a variety of sexual pleasures without judgment, ostracization, or violence being predicated upon her, or her family. What was so refreshing about Shameless was that until the very end of the series, V, and Kev had many wonderfully intimate moments, including introducing a polygamous storyline, which added another layer of comical absurdity in its depiction of non-monogamy. V’s attitude was rightfully proud, her clothes colorful and “thotty”, with an everlastingly resourceful brain. Veronica showed up on my TV screen at the perfect moment- she reclaimed and subverted multiple sexist, queerphobic, and racist TV tropes by thriving in Southside Chicago with those crazy-ass Gallaghers.
On-screen and in real life, I honor every Black and Brown femme from the ‘hood who dares to shamelessly own themselves in totality, and who are also loved by their community because of it!
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