Portrait of a Fangirl: Episode Four - Tiffany Michelle Cagle

Portrait of a Fangirl is a web series created by Monica Duarte and Emily Schuck. At the core of the project is the importance of telling the stories of women who have found inspiration, growth, and power through fandom.

Episode Four – Tiffany Michelle Cagle

In this episode, we talk to Tiffany Michelle Cagle, previous head baker at Calvary Christian conference center. She explains how fans can build each other up and enhance their own expressions. Tiffany tells us about her fandoms and how she expresses them, debunks the practices of gatekeeping, and tells us how fandom has changed her life for the better.

Portraits

This project began as a photography project with the goal of capturing the rich and diverse manifestations of fangirling. The idea was to take portraits of geeky women as a way to celebrate their fandoms. We soon came to realize that, even though a picture—as the cliché goes—is indeed worth a thousand words, these women have stories to tell that require a more robust mode of storytelling. Our photos hope to break the stereotype and their stories meant to praise their vast and unique expression—from sports to music, movies to books and history, and countless other fandoms.

Tiffany was the first person we interviewed for this project and she was a huge part of the original inspiration. Her stories and her perspective needed to be told in more than just photos. But nonetheless, the photos, to us, are extremely important in capturing who she is. In Tiffany’s portraits, we can see how creatively her vintage style and fandom heart align. (I mean, check out these tattoos!!!)

She’s drawn to creative and bold expressions of her fandoms. Her buttons on her jacket are a nod to her father’s jean jacket that he wore in the ’80s that she has adopted as her own.

She incorporates fandom into all aspects of her life, baking unique original creations such as Gryffindor butter shortbread, butterbeer fudge, and mind-if-I-Slytherin whoopie pies, among others.

The Nightlock White: chocolate blueberry and ginger cookie

English toffee coffee snickerdoodle for my Ravenclaws

Gryffindor butter shortbread “Golden trio short bread”

Harry Potter House Banners for Golden trio short bread

Tiffany has reminded all of us at Portrait that fandom is a shared experience that has the potential to connect us with one another in a way that nothing else can. Her passions for fandom have introduced her to some of the most important people in her life. It has influenced where and with whom she wants to spend her life. It is safe to say that her introduction to the fandom community has given her a new view of what life should look like and a compassionate and empathic look at people around her. Thanks to the power of community and social media, she had found her place in all of this.