So, I heard this phrase weeks ago while listening to the podcast, Another Round with Hebon and Tracy. The context was regarding romantic comedies and the obvious lack of women of color in those starring roles. As if there is some belief that only white women can be awkward, quirky, and fun.
This is obviously not true.
This phrase and conversation struck me because it’s something I’ve often pondered myself as I’ve begun to really form my own beliefs and feelings regarding race issues. Wildly popular shows like HBO’s Girls and Comedy Central’s Broad City feature a core cast of nothing but white women. And while I appreciate the racial ambiguity of Broad City’s Ilana Glazer, she is still not a woman of color.
Would the popularity of Friends have been compromised if one of the women had been Arab or Asian or Black? And why is it more acceptable to cast men of color in an ensemble cast than it is to cast women of color? To be clear, I don’t just mean as an accessory character, only there to add comic relief and a well placed, “Girl, please!” We’re beautiful, we’re funny, we struggle with romance and dating, and from personal experience, I know we can be awkward AF. (Gawd, I’m awkward.)
This is why shows like The Mindy Project and Jane the Virgin are so important. Both Mindy Kaling and Gina Rodriguez are the stars of their casts and not only are they portrayed as sassy and funny but quirky and intelligent as well. This is why CeCe’s character on New Girl is so important. While Hannah Simone does not play the main character, she embodies a reality that production companies revere as science fiction and that is that white women have women friends of other races and those friends add value, humor, and have their own struggles where love and life are concerned.
I’m intelligent enough to understand the need to make money and that a familiar, well-known face does just that-hence the need to cast the Emma Stones, Anna Kendricks, and Amanda Seyfrieds of the world. I adore all of those actresses and will probably watch everything they’re in with no complaint. However, I ,wholeheartedly, believe that if the tables were turned, that if Jamie Chung or Gugu Mbatha-Raw was cast opposite of Bradley Cooper in a romantic comedy, the popularity of the film would suffer.
I’m only just now understanding the need for shows like Living Single and Girlfriends or movies like Think Like a Man. We’re not allowed to be funny and showcased in a romantic light anywhere else but UPN reruns, BET, and Tyler Perry movies. We’ve had to create these spaces for ourselves. Spaces where we struggle with dating and finding love, where we’re allowed to get into embarrassingly uncomfortable situations just like everyone else because White women do not have a monopoly on wit, humor, and awkward romantic interactions.
Trust me.
Sooo, rant over.
All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go 