Entertainment

Is Rashida Jones Really ‘#blackAF’?

By  | 

Over the past few years, with shows like “Black Girls Rock” and catchphrases like “Black Girl Magic,” African American women have become part of a movement that publicly acknowledges their accomplishments and showcases the importance of their charisma, intelligence, beauty, and all-around distinctiveness.

Likewise, popular TV shows and films such as “The Hate U Give”, “black-ish” and “Greenleaf” highlight the raw talent, passion for excellence and pride that the black community possesses.  However, despite successes both individually and collectively, these productions have all faced backlash—some minor and some major—for their inclusion of mixed race actresses who portray mono-racial women.

Recently, actress Rashida Jones found herself in the mix of this very similar controversy that was sparked as a result of her role in Netflix’s new series “#blackAF”.

The show, produced by the creator of “black-ish,” Kenya Barris, began streaming on Netflix on April 17. It fictionalizes Barris’ real-life, attempting to take an irreverent and honest approach to parenting and relationships. Giving him a run for his money are his six restless, outspoken children, and there to help him along the way is his loving, devoted wife who is played by Jones.

Black AF promo image

Star of “#blackAF” Rashida Jones (right ) and Co-Star Kenya Barris (left)

Given the title of the show, many fans excitedly tuned in to watch. Some turned to Twitter to express their adoration for the new series, while many others used the platform to express their dissatisfaction and expectations of seeing a cast that did not feature a biracial mother.

The controversy begs the question: Is Rashida Jones really black, much less black as f*ck?

Jones is the daughter of award-winning music producer Quincy Jones and the late actress Peggy Lipton. Given that her father is black and her mother is Jewish, the actress would normally be considered black in many social circles.  Despite being of mixed race, Jones bears most of the physical characteristics of her mother, and the 44-year-old actress has generally been known to play the role of a white woman or racially ambiguous character in most of her other feature roles.

http://

http://

Given a TV series that is titled “#blackAF,” some viewers believe that biracial people should have inclusion in shows that aim to portray the characteristics and lifestyles of mono-black people because mixed race people have likely experienced some, if not all, of black culture. Thus, Jones has just as much a right to the role as a fully-black woman. Still, others believe that mixed race people cannot identify as solely black feel that the show’s cast should have included people who genetically identify with only the black race.

The mixed reviews have somewhat neutralized the battlefield of Jones’ role on the show, but it also raises the question of whether or not the show’s title is suitable. Is this series representative of being black as f*ck?

http://

The show is based on Barris’ life, where he was married to a biracial woman for 20 years and had six kids. His previous show “black-ish” is also based on his real-life family, and actress Tracy Ellis Ross plays his wife, Rainbow. Ross, who is biracial, has never caused any controvery about being appropriate for the role on that show. This is probably because the show is about being black “ish,” not “AF.” As such, the issue is “AF.”

Usually, when anyone is described as being anything to the degree of “AF” (“as f*uck”) — whether it be tall AF, smart AF or even cheap AF — there is usually no room for the person to be anything opposite of that distinction. However, the “AF” description is also often used as an entertaining exaggeration that may not reflect any literal meaning.

While the series’ title could have been meant literally, it could have also been a harmless, entertaining marketing strategy used to draw in viewers, which some claim it was. As of now, there has not been any word from the show’s production and creation team suggesting that they have—or even will—consider changing the name of the new series.

If you haven’t seen the show yet, you can start viewing it here and decide if its title is suitable, or not, for yourself.

Avanti Tolbert is a freelance writer for Hers Magazine. She majored in Journalism at Georgia State University. When she is not busy writing, she enjoys shopping, catching up on her favorite shows and spending time with her precious daughter.

    1 Comment

      Leave a Reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *