A book full of angry black feminist op-eds and rants written by this black girl so keep your misogynoir to yourself ✨
i am not a teacher so please don't ask me teach you or educate you... google is free✨
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by Jasmine
Grown-ish, a spin-off of the slightly less terrible Black-ish, follows Zoey Johnson as she navigates college and young adulthood. I was excited about the show at first because I was a Black girl at a PWI when the show started. I thought they were going to do what needed to be done. But have they? No, they haven't. Grown-ish is the worst show on television and needs to be canceled and I'm going to tell you why.
First, let's talk trash about the characters. Grown-ish stars Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson. Before I drag Zoey, I just want to say that I respect Yara Shahidi and what she stands for. She is an impressive bi-racial girl. Shahidi is best friends with the Obamas and attends Harvard University. Zoey Johnson, on the other hand, is a terrible main character. Zoey's character hasn't developed in three seasons. She's unlikeable, judgemental, and can't carry a show because she's one-note. It seems like being her friend is a chore because she only cares about herself. Most characters barely exist outside of her and they only serve to move her story along.
Another issue with Zoey is that she only operates in extremes. There is no middle ground with her. Everything is black or white. For example, in the season finale, she decides to drop out because she can't balance work and school. I don't see why she can't become a part-time student or take a semester off. Also, why would she drop out after fighting so hard to create her own major. She also makes terrible decisions like taking drugs to complete work because she procrastinated or cheating on a midterm because she decided to party the night before.
Next is Aaron Jackson who is played by Trevor Jackson. Aaron is super pro-Black when we meet him but as the show goes on, he becomes less "fight the power." I hate what they did to his character. He's supposed to be Mr. Black Student Union but ends up dating a republican Latina. It's just not realistic. What about him organizing on campus? Or his Black experience? By the end of the second season and all of the third, he is reduced to playing cat and mouse with Zoey. All he does is follow behind her, hoping to get a crumb of her affection. Zoey never chooses him but they somehow end every season kissing. It's annoying. Either make them date or don't but stop dragging it out.
On a positive note, I did enjoy his storyline dealing with student loans. That's probably the most realistic part of college. I can relate to the anxiety that comes with student loans but unlike Aaron, I'm not giving the government its money back. Call it reparations.
Francia Raisa plays Anna Torres, a trash character with trash republican views. Anna is Cuban-American and republican is her personality. I don't see how the rest of them are her friends especially because she pushes her views on others. For example, Anna tries to convince Nomi to keep her baby because she is pro-life. She also leads a counter-protest when Black students are trying to protect the historically Black dorm on campus.
My other problem with Anna is the fact that the actress is in her 30s. She has been playing a teenager since I was a kid. You may know Francia Raisa from Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006) and The Secret Life of an American Teenager (2008-2013). I hate to sound ageist but maybe it's time to stop casting her as a teenager/young adult because she is taking up space. I'm pretty sure there are many Latinas who would love to be on television. And here's a crazy idea, cast a non-white Latina.
