4 REASONS TO START WATCHING INSECURE

Released for the first time on September 23, 2016, Insecure is a dramatic comedy each episode of which lasts 30 minutes. Created by Issa Rae, it is the improved version of her self-produced web series "Awkward Black Girl". Now broadcasted on the HBO channel, the series chronicles the daily life of Issa Dee and her group of friends, all more or less in the second half of their twenties.

I talked about it so much in Live with Jessy, and I was asked so much about why this series was special, that I told myself that I would make an article on the blog to explain to you what I like the most in it. I will explain it to you in 4 points.

1- The “struggle” of the twenties and the end of the myth of the strong black woman

The series begins with Issa, the main character, and her best friend, Molly. Issa works in an organization which aims to provide assistance to young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods through tutoring, guidance and extra-curricular activities. She is the only black woman there and faces several challenges to which any black woman in a white dominated corporate environment can identify.

At the same time, she is in a not very fulfilling relationship with Lawrence, who is unemployed and does nothing to help with household expenses or household chores. That said, he has his reasons (and to find out you will have to watch the series).

Molly, at the start of the series, is THE quintessential working girl, extremely successful and assertice, she works in a company where she too is in the minority as a black woman. At first glance, she has everything going on for her, but in her personal life she sorely lacks a partner to marry and start a family with. She therefore explores the market of seduction in search of prince charming with great awkwardness however.

For the moment, everything sounds cliché, between Issa and her struggle love, and Molly who oddly reminds us of a "Being Mary Jane, you would be tempted to say "what is new in Insecure that I don't have already seen in another african american series?

What’s different is the RAWNESS and the BALANCE. In this series, the ups and downs of each character are told to you without frills, and all measures kept. They evolve by trying to navigate the difficulties for this generation to find themselves, find their professional path, find their soul mate, but their lives are not catastrophic. Highs and lowcan coexist in a single episode without overshadowing the other, and this is what makes this series authentic. Nothing to do with the crazy storylines of an Olivia Pope or a Annalise Keatting, who, and despite all the influence they have had on me, are characters perpetuating this image of black women performing extremely well in one and only one professional field, to the detriment of all other aspects of their personal life. This tendency to "punish" the black heroines by depriving them of any work-life balance in almost all their representations as if to excuse their presence on the screen is a frequent drift we reproache to the black hollywood screenwriters, including Tyler Perry (i recently nicknamed "Trauma Perry" on social media). The Take has a great video about this phenomenon.

It was important to break this image of a black woman who endures everything as long as she succeeds professionally. With Insecure, Issa Rae succeeds perfectly in breaking the cliché. This series is made for those who are not, or do not want to be Annalize keatting, or Olivia Pope. Insecure is not a series that will immerse you in an imaginair. It’s a mirror, reflecting the realities of the struggle of real black people you can identify with.

And make no mistake: many black men are also fans of this series because for the first time, they have the impression of being represented in more complex roles than the clichés to which they are accustomed . Their characters are not violent, drugged, criminal or incarcerated men. They are young people looking for work, exploring their emotions, who sometimes are depressed, meet to discuss their problems, experience unemployment, make mistakes and get up, get married, are fathers, brothers, cousins, friends ... In short, completely "normal" men.

Besides, the character of Lawrence has a whole masculine fanbase that the community of fans of the series calls the Lawrence Hive. Last season, they even had their hashtag followed by a dedicated emoji on twitter.

2 - The directing

Unlike most of the series we watch, Insecure is a series whose directors can vary from an episode to another. Certain episodes are sometimes written and / or directed by other actors of the series or black hollywood, with appearances of hilarious celebrities or from the entertainment world like Regina Hall or singer Ray J.

For example, one of the episodes of the last season was directed by Kerry Washington, the famous actress in the role of Olivia Pope. Episode 8 of the same season was written by Natasha Rothwell, who starrs as Kelli in the series. Episode 7, focusing on Molly, was directed by Jay Ellis, who plays Lawrence.

And I really like Issa's choice not to wait for other productions to give her team a chance to shwcase their skills. She shares her platform by creating opportunities for them. And the result is no less excellent.

If they don’t give you a seat at the table, build your own!

One of the elements that make the quality of this program is its photography. By watching the series, you will quickly see how the images and the way of shooting have nothing to do with everything you have seen so far. And it is normal: the way of filming Insecure is totally opposite of what is already being done. I invite you to watch this video from her director of photography, where she explains the process she created to uniquely capture the complexions of black actors without ever distorting them.

The result is truly magnificent.

3- The wardrobe

One of the areas where Insecure will certainly not disappoint you is the style of its characters. In this series, the clothing style of each reflects their personality and / or their development.

For instance, over the seasons, the confidence that the character of Lawrence gains is expressed much more in his styling choices.

One of the most notable pieces of the season is this yellow dress, Jacquemus' yellow cami dress, worn by Yvonne Orji, who plays the role of Molly.

As for Issa, her wardrobe only translates her will to support and promote black creatives.

On the promotional cover of season 4 that you see in the illustration of this article, Issa wears a vest by Lisa Folawiyo, a Nigerian stylist. The same jacket that nigerin diva Tiwa Savage wears on her Billboard cover feature.

Issa wears this same designer in an episode of the season.

But my favorite piece of her wardrobe is this red jacket, which she wears in the most beautiful episode of the season. It is a piece by the South African brand Thebe Magugu.

If certain pieces catch your eye, don't hesitate to search and find where they’re from via this website via this link.

The last aspect of Issa's style that I wanted to highlight are her hairstyling choices. Insecure is the first African American series in which I see the main female character wearing her natural hair in a thousand and one ways. The versatility of her hairstyles is a real inspiration for a woman who tries to learn to love and wear her natural hair more often, and in different everyday circumstances.

But this is so easy to pull out when you have a Felicia Leatherwood in your glam squad. SIf you don't know her, this woman is a hairdresser to some of the biggest African American celebrities and works a lot on natural hair. Her approach is that of working on healthy hair above all, and is part of a process of completely regaining your self-esteem, and of accepting the most authentic version of yourself.

. I personnally am a fan, and I invite you to subscribe to her YouTube channel.

4- La bande son

Trouve-moi UNE série dont la sélection musicale est si bonne qu’elle a dû en faire une playlist par épisode, en plus de son propre album ?

I WILL WAIT. Insecure playlists are SO GOOD, that I prefer to let this part speak for itself and rather invite you to discover and judge for yourself by subscribing to the series account on Apple Music, Deezer and Spotify.

Insecure is an excellent series in that it allows black millennials living in the West to see themselves represented in the complexity of their daily struggles, and to other generations to decipher the codes, consumption patterns and habits of this population.

For me, it reminds me that there is also magic in being an "awkward black girl" like Issa, who awkwardly, tries to find her place in a society that imposes her youth to comply with obsolete standards, without any user manual or GPS, before certain a deadline (studies, financial stability, marriage, parenting, etc.).

Finally, she explores with much more depth the difficulties of maintaining relationships through all this path from the twenties to your thirties. A period of life when your gaze on absolutely everything and everyone (including you) changes at the speed of light. And where, to survive and grow out of it, you will have to get used to the fact that change, although overwhelming and uncomfortable, is not that serious.

Insecure is this comedy-report on the transition from a young to full adult life. It is full of humor, lessons and beauty and for all these reasons I highly recommend.

I will finish with this single by Jazmine Sullivan and Bryson Tiller, written especially for the series.