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If you don't watch "Insecure" baby, what are you doing?

Insecure comes on HBO.
Insecure comes on HBO.

Issa Rae's hilariously smart comedy series, “Insecure,” just finished its second season strong with a gripping finale.

HBO brought us this highly personal, relatable comedy for the first time with season one last fall. The show is developed from Rae's web series, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.”

Among a popular array of new television series from Rae's peers like Donald Glover's Atlanta, Insecure is undeniably unique. It effectively portrays the realities of blackness, womanhood, relationships, friendships and young professionalism while simultaneously debunking misconceptions about South L.A. all with a comedic twist.

“Insecure” features black professional 30-somethings navigating the triumphs and frustrations of romance and work life in Los Angeles. The series’ narrative is partially driven by a pair of best friends Issa, played by Rae, and Molly, played by Yvonne Orji, who both have positions in primarily white work environments—Issa at a nonprofit and Molly at a law firm.

“Insecure” has a satirical take on the roadblocks Molly and Issa run into as women of color in the workforce that sets the stage for some of the painfully funny moments in the show as well as the painfully relatable ones. [related title="Related Stories" stories="20117,22236" align="right" background="off" border="none" shadow="on"][related title="Related Stories" stories="" align="right" background="off" border="none" shadow="on"]

In season one, Rae perfectly captures the humor and awkwardness of being the only person of color in a white space when Issa's white coworkers ask her the meaning of "on fleek." She resists by pretending she doesn't know what they're talking about and then comically mutters under her breath "I know what that sh*t means," as she walks away.

On the other hand, Rae also ensures her audiences "stay woke" when she holds nothing back unpacking social issues on the show. Most recently in season two, the HBO series confronts the issue of the racial and gender pay gap head on. Molly accidentally sneaks a peak at her white male counterpart's paycheck. To Molly's dismay and lack of surprise, she gets paid significantly less for the same work.

The most revolutionary aspect about “Insecure” is that it is a show that prospers on the awkward moments of everyday life, which gives it an appeal to a wide range of viewers.

The storyline of the HBO comedy series is also steered by Issa’s relationship with her once live-in, unemployed ex-boyfriend, Lawrence who is played by Jay Ellis. In one episode, Issa runs into Lawrence at Rite-Aid after hiding from him at Molly’s house for days. Caught off-guard and unaware of why Issa is upset, he raises his voice and asks Issa where she’s been.

“We are not about to be the black couple fighting in Rite-Aid,” Issa snaps back.

“Insecure’s” depiction of the complexities of young black love and realistic portrayal of misfortune in modern day millennial relationships adds another dynamic to the series’ brilliant combination of the distress and amusement of everyday life.   

Aside from the fact that “Insecure” is hysterical and groundbreaking, it is also the perfect series to start binge watching if you need something fresh or you want to celebrate some #BlackGirlMagic.

Issa Rae is redefining how black women are depicted on television through “Insecure” by simply telling the tale of her regular life—before all of her newfound fame of course.

The show illustrates the epitome of #BlackGirlMagic. From the strong black female camaraderie between Molly and Issa to the vulnerability viewers see in both characters personal struggles in relationships and at work, black women are represented as fierce, flawed, vibrant and beautiful instead of unshaken beings.

Not to mention, Solange is the music consultant for the show and honestly, the soundtrack alone is worth the watch.

 


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