“Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life.” — Prince
I was doing pretty good for most of the day. But then the sun set at 4:00 pm. And then I went grocery shopping. And then I went home. And I was tired. And I still had to cook. And I still had to do laundry. And then I remembered that I ain’t got no man, no money, no car, and now, no career. So I baked some frozen fries and chicken fingers and plopped down on my couch in my underwear and with my apple juice and watched “Insecure.” This is how I “turn up” on a Tuesday night. And now I feel so much better about myself and my life.
I learned about this show from a friend last week when I went to Tagzone for a birthday party (Team 3! What up!!!). He asked me about life in general and said that I need to watch “Insecure.” I was like “that show by the ‘Awkward Black Girl’ chick?” He was like, “Yeah.” So I went home that night and, to my dismay, I did not have HBO. 😦 :*( . Yes, yes, cry me a river. But then I watched the “Insecure” trailer on YouTube and I realized that I needed Issa and her awkward Black girl self in my life and I sucked it up, bit the bullet, and added an HBO package onto my TV line up (which is an incredibly smart thing to do when you’re broke — or, in the style of the names of “Insecure” episodes, “broke af” as everyone seems to be saying nowadays).
I think that’s the beauty of Issa Rae and shows like “Insecure” (shout out to another young Black funny woman – Qunita from Buzzfeed and her YouTube show “Broke”!) — not so much being broke, but showing that it’s okay if you don’t have your act all together. It’s okay not to be okay. It’s okay to be in your late twenties and want more from life. It’s okay to be awkward. And it’s okay to be an awkward Black girl. Like me. 🙂 Still trying to figure things out — figure out this thing called life. In fact, every week, it’s like Issa gathers us around the television and, in the words of Prince, helps us all get through this thing called life.
The show features Issa who is a 29 year old (I’m 28 years old) young Black women in a dead-end relationship with a guy who is forever trying to start a business. Her best friend Molly is a straight weave-wearing 3rd year associate at a law firm (boy can I relate) who is single (boy can I relate again) and sits across from an average looking girl who just got engaged to her Black boyfriend (this show is just too damn real).
There are so many parallels between this show and my life and the lives of Millennial women everywhere that it’s uncanny. That’s what makes the show real. And relevant. And just so darn funny.
So, after a few laughs as a result of this show, I now feel so much better and ready to face the world with my awkward Black girl self.
Go get your life (and HBO) and watch “Insecure.”
Photo credits: Cover photo — Hollywood’s Black Renaissance
Simone Samuels 