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Issa Rae hurt Lauren London’s feelings...

Chicago2021

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I’m surprised by this and kinda don’t get it—is it that Lauren feels offended Issa doesn’t think she’s a good enough actress to play awkward?

From Vanity Fair’s cover story on Issa:

“In 2011, Rae made her web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, and carved a lane for herself, as well as for other Black girls who were gawky and antisocial, in the key of Tina Fey in 30 Rock, or Larry David in everything. (Both are frequent touch points for Rae.) The archetype existed before she gave face to it, not that the industry’s largely white bosses recognized it. Both in interviews and in her memoir, Rae has told the story of a TV executive who suggested that Lauren London, an actor who got her start playing the love interest in a spate of music videos and in films like the drama ATL, would be a great fit for a cable version of Awkward Black Girl.The moral of the story was not only that executives were out of touch with Black women, swapping one for another even when they were nothing alike, but also that dark-skinned Black women could be edited out of their own narratives. In a twist that Rae didn’t anticipate, the anecdote hurt London’s feelings. “One of my biggest regrets, naming her,” she says. “She took offense to that.””

EDIT!!:

Whoops y'all I never finished the article lol.

Here's the very next paragraph lol:

"The duo made peace at Diddy’s birthday party two years ago, Rae says, spurred by London’s partner, the late Nipsey Hussle. The rapper approached Rae at the party and encouraged her to make things right. “He was like, ‘You should just talk to her. Let me set it up,’ ” she says. “It actually sparked an amazing two-hour conversation. We had so much in common. She was like, ‘People don’t understand, I’m an awkward Black girl.’ In the same way that I was upset about the limited portrayal of Black women, she was like, ‘People do the same thing to me.’ I completely get that.” The conversation burrowed itself in Rae’s brain. With Insecure, she has actively expanded the scope of characters that Black women can relate to—and that mission will continue to guide her."

Edited to add:

Not sure the newly discovered lol second paragraph is helping me understand Lauren more.

What does you personally being an awkward Black girl have to do with you taking on this as role?

I think if her acting chops were better no one would have an issue with her playing against type but no one would ever think she could pull off awkward black girl, partly because her acting skills don't show that range and also partly because she's always played the pretty desired girl in the few acting jobs she's had so I understand Issa feeling like this isn't something she could tackle and I understand why since her public image is one where she is always highly desired why Issa would be annoyed a studio exec would think she would work for it when there are no indications that she could.
 
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April Diamond

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I'm trying to figure out how Lauren felt offended. That's why no one likes this girl on LSA. And it shows you when you give opportunities to people not based on talent they are on the defense with things like this because they start feeling entitled & overly sensitive (Cardi is another example). She's always had nasty attitude for no reason. Issa maybe should've not revealed that they wanted her to play lead publicly, but she said nothing else about her acting skills, personality, etc. Thank God Issa sticked to the guns cause Insecure would've definitely flopped with spongebob. She knows it & being from LA herself she's probably more mad Issa was able to make a show & all those years in the business she couldn't.
 

phizle

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I mean, it's not like Issa mentioned Lauren as an analogy.
It was an actual fact. An exec suggested Lauren for the role. No one should feel bad. It's just a reflection of the industry.

Also, Lauren is and has never been an "awkward" girl even in acting it would be unbelievable
 
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chiquita

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I don't think she had to mention Lauren by name. But Lauren being in that role would not have been convincing.
 

SouthernNotCountry

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Did Lauren come out and say she was offended or something? Issa was right to be like "nah". This happens all the time, you can't always get chose and she wasnt meant to be in it. I just rewatched ABG series and Lauren wouldn't fit anywhere, she couldn't have even pulled off the role of the sick girl that always had tissue.
 

lirxah9

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I’m trying to see what Lauren would have been offended by, I can understand if they mentioned acting skills or experience but the reasons provided especially regarding dark skin black women being erased from their own narratives, is extremely valid
 

NambyPamby

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Lauren acting is very one dimensional. Cute girl but she can barely act in roles being just that, cute. I’m glad Issa had enough sense to let them know that Lauren shouldn’t be in that role because it takes away from the character. We didnt need to see a cute ls girl in that role for one. And for two she truly doesn’t have the range. And that’s fine because the roles she gets suits her.
 

Meliodas

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...was issa wrong? lauren could never pull that off, she's not a good enough actress to do awkward
 
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Chynaking

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Allegedly shes always been a mean girl. but lsa will say otherwise

But what makes her mean in this situation? Because she was allegedly upset about something?

Did she speak negatively to or about Issa? I'm confused...
 

TexasJade

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A biracial woman is mad she can't depict a Black woman onscreen. boo-hoo.


***I like Lauren and Issa. And Issa was wrong to namedrop her, but also.....Lauren London isn't a Black person AND would've been inappropriate for the role. Issa could've zipped it & Lauren could've understood she's been used to depict mono-racial Black women forever.

And some of us are actually sick of it.
 
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Safelyup

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But what makes her mean in this situation? Because she was allegedly upset about something?

Did she speak negatively to or about Issa? I'm confused...
she should have never named lauren london. she knew what she was doing, and she is still publicly talking about her allegedly "being upset" about it in official interviews. issa is shady.
 

NordieNARS

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Lol, I didn’t know this. I like Lauren, but she’s a mediocre actress at best.

Plus, her biracial, light-skinned ass is NOT an awkward black girl. She wasn‘t a fit, period
 

Scorpio Jawn

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Colorism aside, Lauren just isn't a good actress. No shade to her she seems quite nice but no. But it also goes to show how clueless these white tv execs are. Lauren doesn't even have the range to pull off playing an 'awkward black girl'.
 

Goonica

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A biracial woman is mad they can't depict a Black woman onscreen.

boo-hoo.

the entitlement jumped out.

That's not what she said. An exec suggested Lauren, Lauren was offended over Issa publicly using her to make a point which is why she said that one of her biggest regrets was naming her.
 

Meliodas

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its not that its that fact that she purposely said her name. to elicit a response from her audience. its mean. but LSA again will defend issa
well she was the person they were trying to push, issa's just telling the truth about how they constantly try to erase dark skin black women, even in their own work.
 

Your Faves Fav.

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Lauren keeps to herself...she didn't have to put her name in the headlines. names get thrown around in meetings all the time...we didn't need to know who was mentioned.

of course LSA is full of women that are triggered by Lauren types...so many won't understand the nuance here & will misconstrue this to mean that Lauren somehow wanted this role and is jealous of Issa. lol.
 

Safelyup

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well she was the person they were trying to push, issa's just telling the truth about how they constantly try to erase dark skin black women, even in their own work.
Alright but say they wanted to replace me with a "lighter skin girl" or something but she legit mentioned her name, knowing that she could potentially get attacked because of it. And she does it again in this interview. Thats just wrong.
 

strangelyamused

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I get why she named her though. The black audience knows who Lauren is and we understand why her being suggested is highly problematic. It's not even about her personally--although she is a very sh!tty actress--it's about the fact that she is the exact opposite of what ABG represents and shows how easy it is for our stories to get whitewashed to make them more palatable for studio execs.
 

Coconochanel

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The way y’all keep trashing Lauren’s acting like Issa’s is anything to write home about is kind of sending me lol.

I love Issa, but her skills as an actress and writer are heavily overrated.
 

Naturally

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Lauren London is New New. The antithesis of the Awkward Black Girl. And no Lauren doesnt have the chops to pull off awkward but lets be honest, she is too pretty for the role. She is the drop dead gorgeous black girl and no eye glasses or flannels could change that.
 

thephoenixslays

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Lauren London is a beautiful woman I would give her that. She wouldn't be an approriate choice for Insecure or Awkard Black Girl because lets be real Lauren London is not having trouble with men.
 

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