The Rise Of The Awkward Black Girl
We’re no longer the sassy sidekick or the overbearing bestfriend of the film industry. Since the mid 2010’s there has been an influx in films and tv shows containing the “awkward black girl” trope. And if you’re unfamiliar, this is a genre in which the show’s main focus is centered around the daily life of a black woman who is neurodivergent, has social anxiety, or both. We’ve had minor appearances of this trope in various tv shows and movies of the past but to have entire shows focus on dark-skinned black women in this way is unprecendented. And, it’s such a refreshing concept to see. We’ve all had enough of the stereotypical black best friend, or the oversexualized black main character. Film has always had a deep infatuation with forcing black women to degrade themselves in various ways to drive their narrative forward. But, with this it’s a new beginning. It’s a fresh start to what could truly be a revolution in the film industry.
With Insecure (2016) still doing rounds within the black community to this day, it’s safe to say this has become a true staple. This is our Sex and The City. But, Issa Rae didn’t begin here. She started out with a webshow on Youtube titled “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”. The show spanned from 2011-2013, and was reasonably popular. It follows the life of “J” as she interacts with coworkers and various love interests who all leave her in uncomfortable positions. This same concept was then taken and placed on a larger scale to birth Insecure. Another similar show to mention is Chewing Gum (2015) written and created by Michaela Coel. It was based on her one-woman play from 2012 titled “Chewing Gum Dreams”. This show is quirky, hilarious, and very left field. And Michaela’s character is much more out there than any of the other shows we’ve seen, but that’s exactly why we love her! Both of these shows flipped our usual stereotype completely on it’s head and kickstarted a revolution.
As I mentioned before, we’re tired of seeing borderline trauma porn of us on screen. The film industry degrades, tortures, and stereotypes us nonstop to push this narrative of “the strong black woman”. And, if society is already doing this in real life, why would we want to see this on film? Hollywood has always had such hurtful representations of us, so I’m truly glad that we’re starting to slowly shift away from that in the mainstream. And as we move deeper into the future, I can only hope that we go farther into the quirkiness, the neurodivergence, and the social anxiety of it all. Because, believe it or not this does exist within black women. We are not a monlith nor are we anything like what you’ve been seeing in the past. We have only scratched the surface but I’m still so grateful for creatives such as; Ayo Edebiri, Quinta Brunson, Issa Rae, Michaela Coen, and so many more. They have truly paved the way for us to be represented in such different ways.
