Black women have long been viewed as second-class citizens in numerous fields, including science, pop culture, government, and everyday life. Furthermore, invisibility contributes to black female marginalization: they are much less likely to hold political office, high-profile employment and are frequently absent from popular cultural imagery. As black feminist researchers have shown, their marginalization is exacerbated by a lack of representation in the media. When black women’s issues are visible, they miss out on the entire range of real-world experiences, such as normalized human feelings and educational success. Films are important places to look at artistic images because they are political endeavors that portray, produce, and perpetuate power relations. Cinemas not only entertain but also communicate messages to their audiences, influencing our values and beliefs.
Tiffany Abney, Rising from the Ashes:
Tiffany Abney was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a long distance away from Los Angeles. She went to Waldron Mercy Academy for elementary school and Merion Mercy Academy for high school, respectively. Both are prestigious Catholic private blue-ribbon schools of excellence. She started running track at the age of 3 and started running competitively around 5 or 6. Tiffany then went on to study Broadcast Journalism and Psychology at the University of Houston, where she received a full Track & Field scholarship and later became an NCAA All-American.
Although we’ve seen her outstanding performances in our favorite films, most of us don’t recognize her. You may have seen her jump off the Hollywood sign to her tragic end in Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood,” or you may have seen her knocking some criminals around in Season 2 of Spectrum Network’s “LA’s Finest.” Abney is a professional stuntwoman who has doubled for celebrities such as Gabrielle Union, Angela Bassett, Regina King, Saweetie, Queen Latifah, Keke Palmer, Barrett Doss, Aisha Tyler, and many more.
The native of Philadelphia shared her thoughts on her work. “My ultimate goal is to be an advocate and bring awareness to stunts and the amount of hard work that goes into it,” Abney said during a shoot. “People in my community have died trying to bring joy to film and television fans all over the world.”
Life of a Black Stuntwoman in Hollywood:
Abney confirms that being a stunt woman is not easy. Long hours, a high pain threshold, dedication, bravery, professionalism, and years of training that moviegoers will never see are all required. Stunt doubles aren’t always given the credit they deserve, but for Abney, the trade-off is worth it:
“I am humbled. I am blessed to have the mentality and physicality, the drive and the ambition to do it. I’ve learned so many skills and met the most amazing people. Many of my stunt friends are real-life superheroes.”
The most challenging aspect of her job as a stunt performer, she says, is performing gags that make her nervous or are extremely dangerous. The pressure of completing a particularly nerve-racking stunt flawlessly in one take is sometimes entirely on her shoulders, making actions tricky and essential to the flow of film production.
Her Most Difficult Stunt:
Tiffany performed one of the most physically and mentally demanding stunts of her career, “A Quiet Place Part Two.” Another stuntwoman was taken to the hospital due to a wire gag. Tiffany was her replacement, and she had only one chance to do it before the day was done. So, Tiffany, being the solid and unwavering stuntwoman that she is, pulled it off brilliantly despite the difficulty, anxiety, and pain of flying up and back 25 feet in the air! Unfortunately, the scene was cut from the film. “That’s another part of being a stunt person that people don’t realize; your work doesn’t always make it into the project, no matter how cool it was or how much it hurt,” she says.
An Award-Winning Actress, Now an Entrepreneur Launching her own Sauce Line:
Women are launching more businesses than ever before, yet they still encounter obstacles to running their firms. A significant increase in the number of female entrepreneurs is being recorded each year. Given the difficulties women face in the workplace, regardless of the favorable outcomes, they fight to make it in the corporate world. Still, a woman like Tiffany is ready to take on the challenges and take them down! Aside from doing stunts and taking names on the big screen by collaborating with Kwaylon Rogers and Natasha Burton on an entrepreneurial venture with their “Smack ya Mama, ya Daddy, and ya Granny” seafood sauce line. Their products are vegan-friendly, incredibly flavorful, and can be used in various dishes other than seafood. The partners were overjoyed to announce the September 25th release of their Spicy, Cajun, and Lemon Pepper seafood sauces! Their first batch sold out in just 28 minutes, but that is only the beginning of their plan to create a mouth-watering empire of foods, products, and merchandise.
Conclusion:
She enjoys spending time with family and friends, doing make-up, assisting homeless people, and going on adventures. She has other plans in addition to her hectic stunt schedule, business ventures, and home life. The talented force of nature’s ambition is to open a camp where she and the most exceptional stunt industry can teach minorities the ins and outs of stunt work.
Tiffany Abney has risen to great heights in a short period; it appears that she was born to soar. She is not leaving any stone unturned in her efforts to ensure the success of her new ventures. Her latest experience is also proving to be a huge success.
Tiffany can be found on the internet at the following addresses:
Website: www.TiffyStunts.com
Instagram: @TiffyStunts and @SmackEmSauce