Issa Rae is My Spirit Animal

I. Just. Love. Her.

Mind you I was late to “Awkward Black Girl”, but I am now fully on board. I knew when I first heard her name…. Issa Rae, KnasaRAE. Of course we’d get along! Issa is my bestie in my head. She is my person. For all the countless personal awkward black girl experiences I’ve had, she’s my comfort. In a world of code-switching, she’s my support. As I walk that tightrope, she’s my redemption. Most importantly, she cheers me on as I continue to grow and mature, feeling less of a need to do either. She has a beautiful spirit and the kind of smile that lights up an entire room.

“A trillion-watt lightbulb went up in the nightclub.”

Her confidence in her awkwardness is endearing. She owns it. She doesn’t just laugh at her own jokes that no one else gets. She hollers. She happily lets the tears stream down her face. She is un-apologetically black, not stereo-typically black. A lot of people unknowingly treat those terms as if they are synonymous. They are not.

I enjoy hip hop… I also enjoy rock music. I love sci-fi. I don't watch reality tv. I enjoy sports, but I’m not athletic. I have rhythm, but I can’t twerk. I love the English language, both slang and unusual words that are not commonly used. I loathe “CP time”. I don’t eat chitterlings and I hate watermelon. I was in my mid-30s the first time I saw Boyz N The Hood. I wear my hair straight. Not because I’m ashamed of its natural state but because it’s very thick and I’m lazy. In none of those things do I make an apology or an excuse. It’s who I am, and I am also a proud, black woman in all of that.

A proud, black woman who has to comfort a co-worker who clutches her pearls when she learns I don't wash my hair every day... or even every week. Who has to explain that Black Lives Matter doesn't mean no one else does. Who has to give specific examples of personal experiences with racial bias and flat out racism, because people refuse to believe that it still exists. Who has to explain how pro-black doesn't mean anti-white.

We live in a world that constantly tells us what we are... loud, ratchet, angry, desirable but not from a marital perspective. If we don't want to be labeled as such, then there's a certain way we have to conform. Because we are also told that if we are different, there are only specific non-stereotypical traits that are acceptable. You have to claim a category, and you have to be able to check the boxes in that category. Don't let your blackness make other people uncomfortable, but make sure you're "black enough". Here's a thought: How about you just be yourself?

Issa actually isn't awkward at all. She's an individual and displays it boldly. She says the things she wants to say proudly and boldly. She embraces what makes her “different”. For every box she can’t check, there is an opportunity to create a new one. She enjoys herself. That sounds like such a simple thing, but I’m sure most of us have not found it to be so easy. What she does can create awkward situations, but only if she chooses to let it be so. I think she and I are both learning, it doesn't have to be that way. You don't have to be awkward. You can be different. You can be eccentric. You can be special. You can be ONE OF A KIND.

I’m enjoying her career development as she continues to have successes, such as scoring the series Insecure on HBO, being a Covergirl and co-starring in the movie Little. I’m feeling like a winner, as she continues to champion for those who feel like they don’t quite fit in or have to constantly prove themselves. My bestie is winning, you hear me? Not winning like finding an extra nugget in your six-piece, hashtag-worthy #WINNING.

You know the saying, “Blessed are the nerds, for they shall inherit the wealth”? No? What about “Blessed are the ugly ducklings, for they shall inherit bombshell status”. Still no? Ok.. perhaps I made all those up to get myself through adolescence/puberty. Now, every morning I just look in the mirror and battle rap myself until I go super saiyan into full-blown #BlackGirlMagic illumination. When you got that glow... 😉

Blessed is the awkward black girl, for when she truly discovers self-love she will inherit all her heart’s desires.

"If y'all can't already see, I ain't worried bout y'all cause I'm already me." ~ Shawn Carter