“What makes you think I’m African American?”: identity performance, code switching and the Strong Black Woman on <i>Love Is Blind</i>

Reality TV show, Love is Blind, has captured the hearts, minds, and attention of audiences nationwide, igniting fervent and passionate discussions about romance. This show boasts that they provide a space for people to fall in love "not for their looks, their race, their background, or their income," but through emotional connection. Despite this promise, all these factors, especially, for Black women contestants, race, dictate success in the show. This Article explores concepts surrounding identity performance, code switching, and the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema, which demands that Black women exhibit independence, resilience, and strength. We explore the many ways black women continue to navigate the show's cultural and linguistic contexts to negotiate their identities and interpersonal interactions. Through a comparison of a select few of the cast members' interactions with different suitors, this article strives to make sense of the nuanced strategies employed by black women on screen to adapt their behaviors and communication styles with potential male partners. This paper emphasized the fine line between how effective identity performance and code switching can lead to favorable outcomes on the show, while also highlighting the physical and mental burdens associated with these demands.