shrill tv show | The Odyssey Online
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.

141
'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.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

161376
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

48284
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

43091
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments