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Jazmin Jones is aware of her actions. During a recent panel for her new documentary, Seeking Mavis Beacon, the director commented on what she described as "trolling" in the context of online culture. She stated, “For this project, some things we’re taking incredibly seriously … and other things we’re trolling. We’re trolling this idea of a detective because we’re also, like, ACAB.”
However, Jones’s playful approach serves a meaningful purpose. Together with her co-filmmaker, Olivia Mckayla Ross, she engaged in this trolling as part of their mission to uncover the identity of the woman featured in Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.
Released in 1987 by The Software Toolworks, a California-based company known for educational video games, the typing software introduced a character named Mavis. Portrayed as a Black woman dressed in professional attire with a sophisticated bun, Mavis Beacon, while fictional, represented one of the earliest instances of Black presence in the tech field according to Jones and Ross. Their documentary, which debuted in New York City on August 30 and is set to reach additional cities in September, aims to explore the story behind the figure that graced the product’s packaging and interface.
The film follows Jones and Ross as they create a detective-like atmosphere, conducting interviews over FaceTime, approaching strangers on the street, and even attempting to find a relative linked to the elusive Mavis. Throughout their explorations, they encountered a deeper and unanticipated question: What are the effects of sexism, racism, privacy, and exploitation in a world that allows individuals to present themselves however they wish?
Through a combination of computer screen recordings, archival footage, and in-depth interviews, the documentary reveals that Mavis Beacon’s likeness was actually that of Renée L’Espérance, a Black model from Haiti who was compensated only $500 for her image—without any royalties—despite the software selling millions of copies.
The issue of creating artificial representations of marginalized individuals is not unique to Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. Major corporations have profited from these representations without sharing their success with the real people who inspired them.
One striking example is “Lil Miquela,” an AI-generated musician with approximately 2.5 million Instagram followers, who appears in commercials for brands like BMW. MSI, which recently collaborated with Lil Miquela to promote an OLED monitor, described her as having a “rich heritage of half-Brazilian and half-Spanish roots.” Reports indicate that the virtual influencer generates millions in income annually, while human BIPOC social media influencers earn up to 67% less per Instagram post compared to their white counterparts, according to data from the public relations firm MSL Group.
Another notable case is Shudu Gram, declared by her Instagram account as “the world’s first digital supermodel.” Launched in 2017, Shudu has a long, slender figure and strikingly dark skin. Although she appears more lifelike than Lil Miquela, she is still not human. In a fashion industry where Black models continue to face significant challenges, Shudu has featured in publications like Vogue Czechoslovakia, collaborated with Sony Pictures, and gained a following of 239,000 on Instagram.
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