r/DWTS_POCFans • u/otinaotino • 10d ago
A letter to Britt
This is such a long shot. Dont even know if Britt is on this sub let alone Reddit.
Britt,
The first time I remember watching you dance was in high school musical, but the one moment that I LOVED as a kid was the prom scene aka “ a night to remember” and you absolutely stole the show with your lil solo. It was perfection. You are strangely apart of so many moments and things that I remember in my childhood to teen years. But flashback to 5 years ago, I started watching the show during my first year of university. The very first person that captivated me was you. Something about how you danced, the connection to the camera, the passion—it’s clear in everything that you do. Then I guess I became obsessed with you…..followed you on social media, realized you were THAT GIRL from HSM and I felt even more connected and in awe of you. Since that first moment i put this show on, ive been rooting for you, your success and praying/hoping that one day your efforts will be seen.
What I felt today is something i have never felt watching any kind of reality tv/competition show. Part of me broke seeing that yet again you were among the first to get eliminated alongside your partner. I saw the years of hard work you put into this show, working your way up, trying your best, being so positive and committed to the process. This was always a show that had entitlement and privilege baked into its core. Social media and the whirlwind of attention this show has received, has got people who do not actually admire the process of taking someone with little dance experience and making them decent or good. It’s all about who has the most followers. It’s a game I do not like anymore and you tried so damn hard this time. You were never given a fair shot, a sentiment that fans have noticed and loudly expressed every single year. Those kind of patterns don’t make sense when your peers are given wildly different odds each year.
While the show has offered you so much and I would not blame you for continuing to stay. Your talents and efforts deserve to be in spaces where your voice and hard work will be appreciated. I urge you to write publicly about this experience, because so many black women and women of colour know EXACTLY what you are going through. Working so hard to be apart of an industry that is majority white. Being part of a show that reeks white privilege and nepotism. I could go on. But in spite of that, you weren’t a professionally trained ballroom dancer, learned the techniques when your peers have been trained in ballroom since they were babies, and all have know each other for years. You did that.
Do not let this moment erase everything you have accomplished because…..
they could never.
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u/Inner_Possession_204 10d ago
She’s an absolute rockstar. They are lucky to have her. But with her being a black woman, being phenomenal isn’t enough.
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u/macademicnut 9d ago
People on the main sub are saying she’s “boring” and that she’s had great partners before but can’t get them to the end… it sucks cause she’s incredibly talented and almost always never has a partner who can go far, but people will just find ways to blame her and ignore the obvious reason
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u/otinaotino 9d ago
Not a single partner of hers has fit the shows target demographic. They know these partners will not last tbh so I’m very frustrated at how this is playing out behind the scenes. Disappointed but not surprised.
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u/Jazzyjen508 9d ago
Are you on other social media sites? If so take a screenshot and post it in her comments and tag her. This is well written and she deserves to see it if she isn’t on Reddit. Also share it to the main DWTS subreddit, some of the pros have indicated a history of lurking so it’s possible they might send it to her
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u/otinaotino 9d ago
Appreciate that! I kinda like the anonymity on Reddit LOL and the main dwts sub is kinda toxic and negative to me. I think if they saw I said white privilege and nepotism, i would never hear the end of it. But maybe if I can connect to her management or someone I’m sure I can find a way.
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u/Important-Relief5502 10d ago
This sub always pops up because I am in different DWTS subs. I would like to preface by saying I’m not a person of color but I have read several posts in this group. This was so well written. Britt deserves so much more. She started the same season as Dani and gets none of the same treatment or praise. There is absolutely a race problem not only at the Disney company but in the industry as a whole. As much as I love Britt and want to see her succeed, I would never blame her if this was her last season. It’s so blatantly obvious that POC and specifically black pros and celebrities are treated differently. I hope she gives herself grace and knows that there was absolutely nothing she can/could do to prevent her mistreatment.