This Week in Patronus Fuel: Past and Present Blackness Align

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In which we stan the 90s
In which we stan the 90s

I love a good callback. Whether it’s jokes or books/movies, I love a moment when something calls back to something you haven’t seen in a while and it just makes you smile (or gasp or laugh). 

Earlier this week, Issa Rae gave us not one but FOUR great callbacks to early 90s TV shows (and just looks in general) and it was awesome. From Dwayne Wayne to The Fresh Prince to Brandy, Issa Rae’s GQ feature brought us the 90s cable sweaters and color blocks and high water pants that are slowly making their way back into fashion (even that last one when we didn’t ask for it, Old Navy Pixie Pants).

Like the early 90s shows Issa homages, Issa and her show Insecure have been part of a slow renaissance of Black comedies and a larger push towards increased Black-led content across both comedy and drama. Shows that showed different kinds of Black life and still made you laugh. Some had serious episodes and others were completely ridiculous. But they made many of us, they were the shows us millennials grew up on. After several years of absence, the Black comedy has leveled up with more Black people in production roles, not just in front of the camera, and with newer levels of storytelling. But many of us wouldn’t be where we are without the content the older shows gave us. And on the simplest level, it’s great to see a Black person having so much fun, getting so much acclaim, and honoring the path that brought her here. 

So thank you for this week’s magical 90s-themed boost, Issa.