Issa Rae: Dark-skinned women still portray a certain archetype & I want to change that.

Issa Rae

Issa Rae: Dark-skinned women still portray a certain archetype & I want to change that.

Insecure is doing much more for the culture than tickling our funny bones. The show’s creator and star, Issa Rae, wants to positively influence the TV and film industry to give leads to darker skinned African American women, considering that both she and her co-star Yvonne Orji are of African descent.

As you’ll recall, Rae, 33, infamously wore a crew neck with the word n-word printed on season two of the show. That was designed by African American boutique brand Omondi. According to Issa, there will be plenty more of that this season. She said:

It’s important to give a platform to those who supported from the beginning and those that can truly benefit from this.

She continued:

The average consumer shops online most of the time now, so it’s much easier to find and support brands that truly represent some of us. Additionally, it allows for nuance and details with characters when I do a bit of digging. It helps layer the show with culture.

And Issa doesn’t stop paying it forward there. She allowed actress/host LaLa Anthony to be mentored in directing on the set of the show.

Soooo…I will FOREVER go hard for this one right here @issarae…she offered me an opportunity to shadow a director, the amazing Kevin Bray, on the set of INSECURE. These last couple of days have been so dope, I learned so much behind the scenes, met so many amazing people … pic.twitter.com/F8a1VWmfI8

— LA LA (@lala) June 9, 2018

Issa also commented on how she wants to portray dark-skinned women in television and film. She said:

Dark-skinned women still portray a certain archetype and I want to change that.

She continued:

They’re either super strong, emotionless, robotic — or hyper-sexual, and you don’t get the in-between very much.

Yvonee Orji

Orji hopes the rest of the industry catches up to the ideology Insecure already follows. She said:

I want the portrayal of dark-skinned women to evolve in such a way that you see us as multi-faceted…We are more than just the sassy friend or the maid. We’re so dynamic. We can be the leads.

Season three of Insecure premieres August 12th on HBO.

By: Miata Shanay