From her Youtube sensation "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl" to her HBO hit "Insecure" Issa Rae is taking over all of the media channels. But now that the season has ended, what will our sunday night look like? {Deep breaths here, lets put into practice what we've learned in yoga. We will get through this!}
There something quite remarkable about the way the show makes it so relatable. From the various scenic areas of LA that we [the audience] have never been properly introduced to, to the musical talent showcased. But what is truly refreshing is seeing a different kind of narrative for black women. One, that is more relatable and doesn't make a caricature or expand on misplaced stereotypes.
With that being said, what really propels the audience of "Insecure" to tune in, is for the various topics that the characters delves into. Here, were some that the show highlighted:
1. Career: Figuring out what you want isn't struggling is just a different path
Have you ever worked a job that wasn't necessarily what you sought out to do, but you still navigated through it? Ever felt as though you weren't doing enough whenever a friend's career was skyrocketing and yours seems to be stalling? or maybe you are a creative spirit, too involved in surviving to explore that side of yourself?
Throughout the season, Lawrence struggles with letting go of his dream to be financially stable but ends up finding a job in an attempt to save he and Issa's relationship. Issa also dealt with career insecurities from her disinterested job to what seems to be an impulse to lyrically create. Both Lawrence and Issa introduce topics that millennials face, Should I stay at my current job for financial purposes? or should I take the risk and pursue my dreams?
2. Don't ever change that quirky/weird/different attitude of yours
Issa shows the world her quirky attitude through her awkwardness and my personal favorite her internal rap battles. Let's face it, we all have that in us but we keep it hidden. and why? Why, do we think that we should censor that part of us? Is it because we have been conditioned to think that it is "weird" behavior? But what does "weird" or "normal" even looks like?
What "Insecure" did in season 1 was to humanize everyday experiences because we all face them. For example: waving back at someone in the street who you don't know and then realizing that he was waving at the person behind you. It's okay, we've all done it and that's just one of the many things that make us humans.
3. Agism: Going after what you truly want in life shouldn't be an age thing
The season starts off on Issa's 29th birthday. That rocky 29th when you're mourning the end of your twenties and the angst of the big 3.0 is kicking. And Issa's feeling the pressure to make her last year worthwhile. But my question is, Why now? Why didn't Issa have the urge to make every previous years count. What does being 30 represent for her? Or, what does society tells us we should financially be or the experiences that we should acquire before turning 30 years old?
4. Relationship: Are we in this together?
The shows outlines several issues within friendships, navigating through the tricky life of being single and the routine of being in a couple.
Issa and Molly have been long time besties but have reached a point in their relationship of blunt honesty in regards to each other's flaws. The problem is that neither Molly and Issa are ready to hear which is the cause for their falling out. Thank goodness that they realized that they need each other just as much as they need to confront their flaws.
In regards to a romantic relationship, Molly represents an attractive woman who despite seeming to have her life together continuously tries to fulfill cultural norm by obsessively dating in the hopes of getting married. Her aggressive search and desperate behavior truly makes me question her sincerity. Does she really want to get married? or does she merely believe that this is the normal thing to do at her age?
On the other hand, Issa represents a woman that is bored and fed up with the state of her current five-year relationship. She wants excitement and is fed up. This leads her to cheating a decision which she quickly regrets. I guess the grass isn't greener on the other side. That's definitely, the lesson that Issa is learning as season 1 rapped up and Issa finds her self-single.
5. Shaking gender norms- Don't call it a man or a woman thing
The scene where Molly arrives at the office and gets informed that her colleague, Diane got engage is an interesting one. Have you observed a subtle difference in that scenario? While all of Molly's colleagues swarms around to hear the proposal story, we see that the scene includes men and women that are both genuinely interested to hear the details of her engagement rather than having the typical girls clapping and chanting as we have seen in previous shows and movies.
And what about Issa cheating on Lawrence. The idea that a woman can cheat is bewildering since men have always been cast as the sole contributor to that role. But I appreciate that the writers challenged the audience to believe that a woman isn't capable of betrayal. And in doing so, it shined a light on the complexity of the betrayer's psyche which was previously described as evil and immoral.
The only thing I can say is: "I cannot wait to see how season 2 will unfold.
