Jade Deo
Caribbean-American Illustrator
A Caribbean-American illustrator on Instagram and Tumblr whose drawings are inspired by literary and cultural themes that center on the representation and inclusion of brown girls in fiction novels. Her first experience with fan culture came early in high school when she drew art for Rick Riordan’s juvenile series Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Kera Cass’s Young Adult series The Selection. She recently removed these old doodles from Tumblr merely because she was embarrassed by her old art style, and in 2020 created an Instagram account where she has continued to post fan art to this day. As jaded.draws on Instagram, the artist visually depicts fictional brown female characters from YA fiction.
Jade identifies strongly with Zoya Nayalensky, a bi-racial character from Leigh Bardugo’s New York Times bestselling series Shadow and Bones. In the shared fictional universe of the “Grisha-verse” fandom, which includes all of the characters in the lore of Bardugo's universe and their individual stories, Zoya became an icon for brown girls. She became an icon for Jade and all the brown girls who never got to be smart, powerful, and beautiful main characters. In so doing, she transformed the self-image of visibly South Asian women, transforming features that many had been taught to resent into those that made them feel empowered.
Jade identifies strongly with Zoya Nayalensky, a bi-racial character from Leigh Bardugo’s New York Times bestselling series Shadow and Bones. In the shared fictional universe of the “Grisha-verse” fandom, which includes all of the characters in the lore of Bardugo's universe and their individual stories, Zoya became an icon for brown girls. She became an icon for Jade and all the brown girls who never got to be smart, powerful, and beautiful main characters. In so doing, she transformed the self-image of visibly South Asian women, transforming features that many had been taught to resent into those that made them feel empowered.
Jade believes that those with a media platform have a responsibility to give voice to minorities and to empower their presence in the world. She uses her sites to advocate for other brown girls and to provide a safe space for queer South Asian and queer Muslims. Jade has links in her Instagram to resources on real-world issues including Black Lives Matter resources as well as information on solidarity appeals for flood victims in Pakistan.
Beyond posting her illustrations on Instagram, Jade collaborated with Bowen Street Press to create limited-edition prints for C.J. Khemi’s debut novel House of Badawi, a Caribbean-inspired world filled with a strong, independent woman who wants to join the Keeper, an all-women legion with a duty to protect the House of Badawi’s “spring of immortality.” She also worked with Illumicrate, a monthly subscription box for book lovers, on its edition of Akshaya Roman’s debut novel The Ivory Key, a Young Adult novel inspired by Indian culture and mythology, which features four estranged royal siblings working to bring peace to their kingdom.
Bowen Street Press limited-edition prints for C.J. Khemi’s debut novel House of Badawi, illustrated by Jade
Jade has illustrated many more book jackets for minority writers and says she will continue to support Own Voice authors—books written by underrepresented and marginalized writers— on her page. She believes it is crucial to uplift authors who empower marginalized groups, especially brown girls who continue to be misrepresented in the media. And she has witnessed how the inclusion of marginalized groups in fiction can have on a person’s race, ethnicity, and other visible aspects of their identity. People interact and connect with others who, on a personal level, see these fictional worlds and characters in the same way. Her fandom experience is something she needs to tell in her own words.
