I want to start by thanking Mara Brock Akil for telling the stories of black girls in a way that is funny, real and celebrates our edges. She did phenomenal work with Girlfriends and now is back at it with Being Mary Jane!
When I tell people I love Mary Jane, they tend to respond with "yeah, but she doesn't have a man." Ummm, she has a pool, a Porsche,toyboy, wardrobe to die for, a thriving career, Le Creuset cookware and a beautiful home which are the things I would take over a man any day!!
Mary Jane knows her worth and she won't settle. She knows what she brings to the table and will accept nothing less than her equal- yet these things are all a problem for some women and most men. Yes, she is rude and mean spirited, but after a certain age I think some niceties can be done away with. Men are notorious for wasting the time of women with undefined goals and she wants to sift through the BS to get to the core issues.
Remember the dialogue with Sheldon regarding how he doesn't want to get married, yet he was very happy to date her knowing that she wanted to have a family. How many women do we know in this situation? You have to ask the hard questions early and risk being called crazy or you will go with the flow only to find yourself being a professional girlfriend 10 years later.
Mary Jane isn't perfect, she is far from it. She had an affair with a married man, she is selfish and wasn't the best friend she could have been to Lisa, she can take her mom for granted, she can be uppity towards other black people and very sassy to her co-workers. What I really like about MJ is that she learns from her mistakes and charts a path forward. She stopped the affair, (whats good Olivia???) She ended things with David when she saw there was no future there and she left Sheldon with his closet full of toothbrushes.
Yes MJ wants a man and to start a family, but she is not obsessing over it! She is not letting that control her life- she has a vision for her life. She focused her energy on getting on Prime Time and now that's where she is. She is a fighter and determined to claw her way to the top, she works hard and she knows what she is doing for the most part. She can be quick on the tongue and at times ill prepared for the consequences, but who isn't?
In conclusion, Mary Jane is refreshing because she says to me "you are going to be alright." It may be a fictional show, but the story lines ring so true for me as single 27 year old attorney and entrepreneur in Johannesburg, South Africa.
MJ frightens the hell out of so many men and women - I think its because those people are not comfortable with a different truth.
One day, there will be a show called Being Lady Shakara :)
 |
| Black Girls Rock! |
When I tell people I love Mary Jane, they tend to respond with "yeah, but she doesn't have a man." Ummm, she has a pool, a Porsche,
Remember the dialogue with Sheldon regarding how he doesn't want to get married, yet he was very happy to date her knowing that she wanted to have a family. How many women do we know in this situation? You have to ask the hard questions early and risk being called crazy or you will go with the flow only to find yourself being a professional girlfriend 10 years later.
Mary Jane isn't perfect, she is far from it. She had an affair with a married man, she is selfish and wasn't the best friend she could have been to Lisa, she can take her mom for granted, she can be uppity towards other black people and very sassy to her co-workers. What I really like about MJ is that she learns from her mistakes and charts a path forward. She stopped the affair, (whats good Olivia???) She ended things with David when she saw there was no future there and she left Sheldon with his closet full of toothbrushes.
 |
| Beautifully flawed |
Yes MJ wants a man and to start a family, but she is not obsessing over it! She is not letting that control her life- she has a vision for her life. She focused her energy on getting on Prime Time and now that's where she is. She is a fighter and determined to claw her way to the top, she works hard and she knows what she is doing for the most part. She can be quick on the tongue and at times ill prepared for the consequences, but who isn't?
 |
| She ain't though |
MJ frightens the hell out of so many men and women - I think its because those people are not comfortable with a different truth.
One day, there will be a show called Being Lady Shakara :)
Didn't you love when they used this song????
No comments:
Post a Comment