curating our week: vol. 2 ⚡
& some thoughts on 'Housewives' & recent historic firsts (there's been a lot!)
Hello! This is vol. 2 of curating our week: a round-up of a few things that have inspired me to keep going in my creative process as a [insert whatever profession I feel like being today] with this week’s theme being historic firsts. I’ve been thinking — generally, way too much, but specifically — about the weight these carry in this particular moment in time, as somewhat major shifts continue to happen across media and entertainment as we approach our “junior year in the pandemic” (saw that on Twitter, have been recovering since). I say “somewhat” because, you know, diversity numbers are still trash and apparently only “[half of the world is] satisfied with the level of representation they see in TV shows and movies.” Here are some things we’ve seen in the last year alone despite all this:
A show representing a first for Native Americans (Reservation Dogs), actually featuring an all-Indigenous cast, as in, not a single white person plays them (unlike what we’re unfortunately used to).
An Asian woman win the Oscar for Best Director (Chloé Zhao for Nomadland), making her the first female of color to win the category in its 93-year, white-dominated history. She is also the first API woman to direct an MCU film (Eternals).
A Black woman win the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Michaela Coel for I May Destroy You) — again, a first for this category. And since this is an unofficial Michaela Coel stan page, I highly recommend watching her 2018 MacTaggart lecture (making yet another first in the event’s 42-year history of not asking a single person of color to deliver the speech).
A trans person of color (Leyna Bloom) grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue for the first time ever since its first one in 1964 (Tyra Banks was the first Black woman on the cover in 1997 — a whopping 3 decades to see diversity).
An Indian-American finally receive a rose on a reality dating show I refuse to watch or name out loud (it’s been on air for 18 seasons for reasons I will never begin to understand but I’ll save the rant for another day).
The list could go on, each carrying with it a thought that goes something like this: “fucking finally.” I feel like I say this all the time, but I can’t believe that it’s [insert year here] and so many firsts are still being made — but then again I can because shit like this, where BIPOC creators don’t receive proper protection from online harassment on major social platforms, still happens. This idea of safety has especially been top of mind for me and oddly enough has been permeating as I watch my favorite dumpster fire of a reality TV franchise, The Real Housewives — which notably is “not bad for feminism” (per Roxane Gay) but is 1000% horrific for diversity! Since its very first season in Orange County aired in 2006, I feel like I can count each time a non-white housewife was introduced (specifically to cities where all white casting is the norm) on my two hands and still have fingers up. Recently though, I noticed a shift where more “firsts” are joining these very homogenous casts to which I say, fucking finally, because mediocrity isn’t exclusive to just white women, y’all! But..with new perspectives and experiences comes an entirely new range of subject matter than what the Bravo Universe is used to and with that comes a desperate need for safe spaces.
Let me outline what’s been going on in 2021 alone for context. Crystal Kung Minkoff, the newest cast member of Beverly Hills and their first Asian-American housewife, spoke out re: the influx of racist messages she’s received since making her debut this season, airing just months after the height of #StopAsianHate. It’s “hundreds a day.” Dr. Tiffany Moon made her debut on Dallas at the top of the year and single handedly opened the portal to something I’ve personally wanted to see on reality TV for a long time: a group of white women eating chicken feet. In return, she received an onslaught of microaggressions, pressure to comfort another cast member’s white guilt, and racist remarks not just from fans but actual cast-mates (the chicken feet reactions should speak for themselves). Eboni K. Williams entered New York City as its first Black housewife (after 13 seasons of realizing there are actually non-white women who live in New York City) and each episode felt like a barrage of mini insurrections against anything Eboni said or did, led by the cast’s resident Karen/plasma donor/liar about donating said plasma housewife. It’s the first season in the show’s history where no reunion was filmed which is both upsetting (no accountability) and relieving (for safety’s sake) all at once.
Seeing all of this play out across the different cities, of course audiences are now being exposed to entirely different dynamics and points of discussion that otherwise, would never happen — but at what cost? This TikTok my friend sent hits it right on the nose saying, “I’m upset at what they are using the people of color for…to be an educator to these grown-ass white women.” Garcelle Beauvais became the first Black woman to join the Beverly Hills cast after 10 whole seasons on air and it was actually a historic moment for the entire franchise, since housewives of color seem to be exclusively sanctioned for Atlanta, Potomac, and what once was Miami. In this most recent season, Garcelle mentions the feeling of “not belonging” (which isn’t uncommon in most workplaces) and eventually educates the women on what it’s like to be marginalized, because of course. While this showed an important and vulnerable moment that was luckily met with understanding and compassion, its something I wish Tiffany and Eboni could have experienced during their first seasons. Or even for Jules Wainstein who joined NYC in 2016 and felt the need to remind everyone of her Asian-Jewish heritage so often that it became the butt of an ongoing joke. Not sure about you, but thinking back on it now sounds a lot like a trauma response to feeling out of place (*whispers* I know because I’ve been there). In 2019, Kary Brittingham, Dallas’ first Mexican housewife, was on the receiving end of derogatory comments from a former cast-member who wasn’t fired, but left on her own and was even invited to attend BravoCon that same year (I know because I was there).
Allegedly, Bravo says, “it's committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and cast and crew are required to go through respect in the workplace training” but what I’d really like to know is how safety (both in physical and mental health) is being prioritized if they’re going to continue throwing non-white housewives into these extremely privileged and traumatic lion’s dens. The producers and casting department know exactly who is on the show, so why risk the safety of those who are underrepresented by putting them in the same room together? For what? In that Michaela Coel MacTaggart lecture I shared way earlier, she asks this vital question to industry gatekeepers’ intent on producing media for BIPOC: “Are we informing our young people on the possible negatives? Or are we too busy capitalizing on it?” It’s not lost on me that this conversation surrounding more diversity on Housewives really only began happening all but a year ago — since it takes a national uprising for anything to get noticed, as it seems! I’d love to see these major networks create systems where people of color feel protected on and behind the camera, rather than capitalizing on their pain for another headline or as an ‘in’ for more audiences of color to watch, only to have both parties traumatized in the process. On the flip side, you can’t deny that these conversations on race and discrimination are still very much real and happen everyday, so sure, maybe not all is lost but it’s still worth thinking about. (I don’t have the answers here!)
Anyway, as I’ve thought about these recent historic firsts and those of the past within the Housewives and beyond, what’s been extremely important for me to recognize goes way beyond the title or accolade (since yeah, let’s face it, they were mostly established by raisiny white men). It’s really about seeing what underlying barriers have been in place, recognizing all the bullshit, understanding the mental and physical tolls, and truly uplifting those voices that persisted despite it all, like the lack of protection and belonging. And I think that’s what makes each “first” that much more significant and powerful.
E. Alex Jung’s profile Kumail Nanjiani, the first South Asian superhero in the MCU, exposes such an important discussion on Asian male masculinity in the media, intersecting with body dysmorphia and tired ass stereotypes.
Zola became the first tweet-inspired feature film ever but even more poignant is how its sheer existence, Njera Perkins writes in this piece, “demonstrates the power and influence of Black voices on social media.”
Issa Rae (who became the first Black woman to create and star in a premium cable series when Insecure premiered 5 years ago) talks the importance of reclaiming narratives in this interview with Tracee Ellis Ross— “I still see the industry dictating in advance what Black stories are worth being told.” More on representation and creating the groundbreaking series in both these EW & NYT features that celebrate #seasonbye 😭
“There is this changing energy, where it used to be, ‘It’s you or it’s me,’ because there are so few spots for people who look like us. Now, it’s you and it’s me, or it’s none of us.”
—Amy Aniobi on creating Tribe, a networking and mentorship program for writers of color
Illuminative released their first digital series You’re Welcome America, offering “quick, punchy, and unpolished lessons about Black folks and Natives,” which definitely feels like a first for web talk shows and I hope to see this distributed beyond the scope of the internet.
I love the fact that they used Cathy Ang’s first take of the title song in Over The Moon (the first China-US animated co-production to get an Oscar nom for Best Animated Feature). Side note: watching this oddly reminded me how much I miss those mini “making of” docs from DVD bonus features and, if you miss it too, I invite you to watch this TikTok from The Afternoon Special.
ICYMI: Pinterest launched a first-of-its-kind search tool for hair inspo that allows users to filter results by pattern. Their Head of Inclusive Product, Annie Ta says, “As a visual discovery platform, we have an opportunity and responsibility to do a better job of increasing representation in the products we build.” You hear that, Zuck? (prob not).
“Representation truly does matter. In the end, that's what it's really about, for people to bring their perspectives to the table. Perspectives that other folks don't necessarily have or haven't thought of.”
—Deb Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history
UNiiQU3’s exclusive mix for Resident Advisor truly has me wanting to run to the nearest clurb (though I’m not going to). She’s become synonymous to Jersey Club, helming the first woman-led street team in its largely male-dominated circuit and is now regarded as the genre’s global ambassador.
Did you know Rolling Stone’s very first music editor was Asian American? Because I didn’t, regardless of how many times I’ve seen Almost Famous — turns out that character Ben Fong Torres is a real person. Hear him talk about how his experience as a second-gen Chinese American shaped his unique perspective on music, ultimately landing him that infamous position.
Rita Moreno is so iconic, not just for the fact that she flat out called Elvis Presley “boring” in this very candid podcast, but she’s also the first Latina to win an Oscar (West Side Story, 1962) and achieve the illustrious EGOT (she’s 1 of 16 to ever win it), all with never having a role model to look up to “because there was no such thing then.”
“I never say I'm the best because that would imply I've been engaged in competition. I am the most me at all times. What you see is what you get. ”
—Kelis, who DJ-ed for the first time ever at Outside Lands last weekend (and I feel lucky to have witnessed it!)
If you’ve made it all the way down here, thank you! My hope is that you all leave with at least one takeaway that gives you the inspiration to keep creating, no matter what outside forces try to stop you from releasing your magic to the world. Feel free to let me know what resonated with you, if you have any burning Housewives theories, or if you have anything you’d like to share that helped shape your week/month/year so far creatively (maybe you’ll see it in the next issue). ✨
If you like what you saw, salamat! Please consider sharing this with someone who you think might feel the same.
Or if you’d like to show your gratitude in other ways like buying me a coffee (or a boba!), you can do that, too.