Insecure is arguably one of the most insightful and realistic portrayals of Black American culture in 2020. If you have never heard of the show, or have never seen the infamous memes flooding your timeline, welcome to the fray.
Season 4 recently aired on HBO, and all I can say is the support is unwavering for a reason. Even though the show has covered seemingly every topic relevant to twenty-somethings, relatable content is still being created that also manages to spark meaningful conversations over social media. Entertainment that has the capacity to inform and acknowledge but be hilarious at the same time is unmatched. Here are some of our favorite reasons why the show remains as iconic as it is, spoilers ahead!
Realistic Friendships
The realities of love are frequently addressed in both romantic and platonic relationships. Issa (the main character) and Molly’s (her best friend) dynamic accurately mirrors modern friendships, in that each person individually struggles but leans on the other for much-needed honesty and support. Through their friendship, you can also see how relationships may change as major changes in life occur, like late-career changes in pursuit of risky passions. Obviously this causes static from time to time in their friendship which thankfully creates extremely funny argument scenes. However, the overall concept of highlighting each other’s faults in a constructive way is something a lot of us strive for in a best friend. Even though their friendship is nowhere near perfect, the show created something so real it’s recognizable through a screen.
Love Unloaded
Lawrencehive, this one is for you.
Lawrence was Issa’s love interest in the early seasons of the show. If you watch Insecure then you have probably picked the side you were on after the break-up, but no one rode for a character harder than Lawrencehive did for him. Twitter was up in flames after Issa cheated, people took sides. Aside from all the shade being thrown, viewers created an open dialogue about infidelity on the woman’s end and how that affects the dynamic of the relationship. Since most of the time women cheating is not as broadcasted as men cheating, this scenario filled a much-needed gap in current television. Plus, it was very early on in the show that this kind of discussion developed which spearheaded discussions of other taboo topics in the Black community like mental health and seeking therapy.
For the Culture
Being a majority-Black cast, with a team of Black writers the show naturally encompasses the culture as well. From the music soundtrack to the language and slang, even down to the specificity of the food, the show creates a vibe of being at home, while still addressing some concerns that burden the Black community like gentrification and wage gaps. The best part about the show is it never explicitly claims that it’s “Black”. There’s an oversaturation of television shows recently that have black in their title or something related, that claim to be a “Black” television show but are never really accepted as one. For Insecure, the show spoke for itself; it never needed the label. It stands for so much more in a community when something embodies aspects of its culture, without immediate recognition because of the name.
Hopefully, all of this made you want to go watch the show. I highly recommend it for anyone in our generation to watch and there is something for everybody to relate to. You can stream Insecure on HBO.