Tonight I was researching (ok, surfing around) and I came across two stories that I really liked. I’d never heard of Issa Rae or her web series The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl, but DeNeen L. Brown’s write up has inspired me to bookmark the site and watch. I was struck by Rae’s transition between an idyllic childhood here in Potomac to the challenging tween years in an upscale black Los Angeles neighborhood that ironically made her less comfortable with herself.
…and then there is Jennifer Weiner’s current piece in Allure magazine about The F-Word. No, not that one. The three letter word that rhymes with rat. I have always loved Weiner’s writing; her training as a journalist makes her concise and descriptive and her characters feel like friends of mine. She’s also been pretty clear about her struggles with food, so I wasn’t surprised that she had parenting ideas around the issue of the F-Word. Even so, this story takes very unexpected angle and is worth a thoughtful read.
There’s obviously much to be explored about the interaction between appearance, socialization and self-perception that touches a spark for these two fine artists and all of us. I’ll be sleeping on it, and writing more on another day.