shrill tv show
Start writing a post
Entertainment

'Shrill' Is A Giant Middle Finger To Unhealthy Body Image, Sexuality, And More

Aidy Bryant kicks off the pilot episode of her new show on Hulu with a bat of her eyelashes and middle finger to negative social standards.

98
'Shrill' Is A Giant Middle Finger To Unhealthy Body Image, Sexuality, And More

When I was scrolling through Facebook the other day looking for content to write about at work, I stumbled across a post about a new comedy show on Hulu called "Shrill." I didn't know much about it other than that it stars Aidy Bryant, who I love, and immediately put it on my radar.

As a quick premise, if you don't know who Aidy is, she stars on Saturday Night Live and is one of the most nonchalantly hilarious women in comedy. She's known for her effortless way in sliding in jokes under her breath and for being a downright awesome advocate for women. Tie that all together, and I knew the show would be iconic.

The start of the pilot episode gives you a warm feeling, almost a sense of familiarity. It has that same "this premise is going to be about women who live their lives for themselves," much to how I felt watching "Broad City" and "Girls." With the latter already ended and the former coming to its close, I was hoping a new show would come out, and "Shrill" seems to already be hitting more nails on the head.

Spoiler alerts ahead.

In the first episode, we see Aidy take on topics that are heavy, controversial and very transparent in nature.

First and foremost, she talks about her body image issues and how it plays a role in her relationships. Because of her plus-sized figure, she explained how she always used it to scrutinize every aspect of her life. How because she was always bigger, she felt the need to prove herself in other ways, like being constantly kind, giving and nice to everyone around her. Don't get me wrong, these are great attributes to have, but she realized that by constantly making sure everyone around her was happy, she lost herself in the process.

She stopped standing up for herself out of fear of creating a wake for other people. She stopped demanding more for her worth and settled for what could be good. And she stopped seeing herself as a person worthy of anything real outside of her weight. Her body constantly played a role in her choices and became shackles holding her down from making true actions throughout her life.

We see her ask for a job promotion and get humiliated in the process. It's not till the end of the episode when she realizes her worth that she begins to fight for herself, her goals and her future.

In the midst of it all is a man who she sleeps with and clearly wants more from him. She felt that because she had a man want her, she needed to do everything in her power to keep him around, which included allowing him to have sex with her without protection. In the process, she didn't realize that Plan B pills aren't applicable to anyone over 175 lbs and got pregnant as a result of it.

What a brave woman that Aidy Bryant is. Because also in this first episode, her character has an abortion as a way of claiming her truth and womanhood. She made a decision to terminate her pregnancy, and in this day and age of politics, that will absolutely come with its fair share of backlash.

But instead of the abortion being clueless, haste or uneducated, she shares the experience from an authentic perspective. She talks about claiming back her life and how she didn't have the procedure for anyone other than herself.

I can already hear pro-life advocates screaming at their TVs calling her selfish and inconsiderate of the baby, but what's impressive to me is that Aidy didn't care to go into more detail. In the show, she didn't feel the need to plead her case. She simply said it was for herself, and left it at that. With an understanding friend and supportive family, she knew it was all she needed to get through. I'm sure women everywhere felt the depth of this answer or lack thereof.

Without spoiling too much, we see her come to terms with tormentors in her life: her weight, the lack of respect from the man she sleeps with and the absurdity of the woman/trainer who pushes the narrative that in order to be a respectable human Aidy must lose weight.

It was a standard pilot episode in the archetypical timeline of it all: Woman has issues; woman has major life lesson; woman changes her perspective and the show kicks off to really begin in episode two. Although I've seen this plotline before, the actual content this one carries has me drawn in and eager to watch more. I'm curious to know what other hard-hitting topics the show will introduce in its 6 episodes, and I plan on writing a season recap/reaction to it all in the end.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

No Boyfriend, No Problem

Why it is okay to not be in a relationship when you are 19

602
No Boyfriend, No Problem
Blakeley Addis

I think that as a 19 year old girl that is in college, we often get caught up in the idea of being in a relationship.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Summer Slump

Summer isn't alway just fun in the sun.

1136
Summer Slump

Summer is a time for fun in the sun, hanging out with friends, and living it up, but for some people, that's not the case. Summer is a nightmare for idle minds. Let me explain what I mean by that. For people with mental illness having the extra time to think and relax can be devastating for their mental health. Now, this isn't a problem for everyone but for some people who suffer from mental illness, this is a reality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Which "Star Wars" Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

"The Rise of Skywalker" really got me thinking...

1339
Which "Star Wars" Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Here we go...

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

NYC Classrooms struggle with marijuana and high students

The Cannabis landscape has changed, and so have what schools experience

1206
Weed
Instagram
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that about 35.7% of 12th graders in the U.S. had used marijuana in the past year, and 11.8% reported daily use. As for coming to school under the influence, specific statistics can be hard to come by, but there is concern that the increasing social acceptance of marijuana may lead to higher rates of use among teenagers.
Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

The Best Capital Cities in the World To Visit

It's easy to overlook some of these, even just one - don't.

1193
The Best Capital Cities in the World To Visit

Why think locally? Think big and consider traveling to the best capitals in the world.

What makes a capital "the best" – culture, sights, history & things to do, to say the least.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments