I always loved Awkward Black girl and Issa Rae. When she did that YouTube series it spoke to me cause the character was so painfully awkward and so relate able. Down to the crazy rap songs she wrote to her strange friends And dating situation. So when Insecure came out I was super excited, but also had some frustrations with it. For example, the strong independent black woman stereo type being pushed with some of the characters.
But, then as these “strong independent” women they were making some really stupid decisions and doing some very negative things. Like sleeping with married men and cheating on their boyfriends and let’s not forget the ”hoe phase” . We all go through drama and do dumb things. Emotions make us irrational more times than not. I get it, but the more ratchet they acted the more pissed off they made me feel, because not all black chicks are ratchet. I also had to remind myself this show isn’t awkward black girl either.
This season has been such a breath of fresh air. I like seeing the characters learn from their mistakes and evolve. As they say, “ know better, do better”. “Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.” Blah blah blah.....etc..
The other thing i love is how Issa as a person has grown. You can see it in her face in her glow. In her walk and talk! She looks really good! I looked at old pics of Awkward Black girl days and she has really gotten her stuff together. Her skin glows, her acting is on point. You can tell she is working hard not only on the show but also on herself. I’d say this is one of the realist and most positive portrayals of Black women on tv that I have seen in a long time. None of that real house wives, love and hip hop act a ratchet mess for attention and get into fights for no reason stuff.
The other thing I am loving, is seeing there be insecure male characters on the series. The women are not the only ones with the emotional baggage and drama going on which I don’t think I ever see in a series. Men in most shows are always portrayed as competitive, confident, got it all together type people. Even in reality shows the dudes are always getting the girls and doing what every they want and appearing like they got it together while the females are wild erratic and overly emotional. When they act like A**holes it’s cause that’s what men do, and not cause they are being emotional and insecure. The men actually seem like human beings!
One of my favorite character evolution's is with Yvonne Orji’s character. I was so pissed at her when she entered a friends with benefits relationship with her childhood friend who was married and in a “open” relationship. Yet she is supposed to be this highly intelligent, beautiful, lawyer. How could this character have such low self worth that she would be with a married man and hang out with him and his wife then go have sex with him in the bathroom at the party while his wife is off doing her own thing. This guy is getting to enjoy being in her bed and eating her food at her apartment and then gets to go home and be with his wife later, but she will never get to be in a healthy relationship cause she tied up with him and carrying around all this uncomfortable emotional baggage from a friends with benefits situation. He is the only one that benefits.
That season just made me so MAD! But it’s way better now! Plus I love Orji's real life personality so much. She is such a confident funny person and too see her play that roll seems below her Acting standards. I guess that’s what makes her good in a way.
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