ABSTRACT
This chapter pairs Rae’s Insecure with Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It and considers their subversive reconfiguration of the typically Whitewashed female foursome genre popularized by HBO’s Sex and the City and Girls, among other hit television series. Utilizing a Black gaze, Rae and Lee showcase dynamic Black women protagonists—Rae’s Issa Dee and Lee’s Nola Darling—as they navigate their careers, romantic relationships, and, above all, their female friendships. Comparing portraits of Issa’s White coworker Frieda and Nola’s White friend Rachel, this chapter reveals patterns of behavior in both the workplace (Insecure) and interpersonal friendships (She’s Gotta Have It) that offer crucial lessons for White and other non-Black viewers about their roles in combatting anti-Black racism.
