The nature of modern fandom is such that we have unprecedented power: we mount campaigns that elongate the lives of our favourite TV shows (see Chuck, whose fans showed support by buying Subway sandwiches featured in the show); meanwhile a strong reaction can prompt the unscheduled end of a storyline (see the abandoned return of a character’s estranged husband on The Good Wife). In the last half-decade, though, as web series have taken over the internet, fans can put their money where their mouth is, supporting their faves in thought and deed. And almost no web series shone as brightly as Awkward Black Girl. I’ve rarely rooted for anyone as much as I did for that show’s creator and star, Issa Rae.
In 2011, when I saw the first episode, I knew I was on to something special. Here was something I’d never seen before: a dark-skinned black girl lead, in a comic series about being both socially inept and black (“the two worst things anyone could be”). Rae’s character rapped poorly about her ex (“I hope you drown/That’ll turn my frown/Upside down”) and navigated the unbearable awkwardness of existing. She has a genuine funnybone (see her sidelong looks to camera, her uniquely pitched voice) coupled with the most charming laugh (real or fake).
She is queen of the introverts, as evidenced by her bestselling book (The Misadventures Of Awkward Black Girl) with its essays on cyber sexing and PDAs. On Twitter and Instagram, she writes odes to Drake, and showcases her desert-dry wit. She’s a big supporter of other young black creative types, too, running a TV development company that promotes women and minority writers. In October, Rae’s new HBO show, Insecure, will premiere, catapulting her to new levels of fame.
I am so invested. At this point, Issa Rae’s victories feel personal.
