Why we love. . . Issa Rae - So, excuse the corn but Issa Rae is an absolute ray of sunshine. A fierce, confident, badass female who is not afraid to go after what she wants. Firstly grabbing attention with her YouTube web series 'Awkward Black Girl', which documented...yes you guessed it...an awkward black female navigating life, love, work, and awkwardness as a black woman, Rae has since gone on to become lead actress in her very own HBO television series Insecure.
Now hailing as an actress, writer, director and producer Rae stands tall with her political views and compelling attitude towards femininity, black culture and girl power. So, not only does Ms Rae represent a poignant part of transition in the media, she also represents a voice for oppressed groups in today's society.
Here are 21 badass quotes from Issa Rae that will inspire you and make you listen
1. “I found that every time I asked for permission the answer tended to be no, so I had to make my own yeses.”
2. ”Stop trying so hard to be someone you’re not.”
3. “For a long time, I defined myself by what I wasn’t… My life changed when I focused on what I was, what I was good at, what I liked most about myself and what made me stand out. Once I learned to like me more than others did, then I didn’t have to worry about being the funniest or the most popular or the prettiest. I was the best me and I only ever tried to be that.”
4. “Once you’re coming up with ways that you can’t do something, you’re not gonna do it.” Related post: Break Up With Procrastination: 7 Steps to Help You Follow Through With Your Goals
5. “Diversity is still a huge issue. We need more people of color in positions of power to green light content. If you want to see content of color, then it has to be in the hands of people of color.”
6. “I was just kind of a yes woman…I kind of lost what i was trying to say in the process because I was trying to make what they wanted me to make and at the end of the day they want you to do you.”
7. “If it makes sense for you to quit your job and… you’re 100% confident in what you’re doing then didn’t do it.
8. “If a company is only as good as its weakest employee, then what does that say about you and the job you hold?”
9. “The web presents an opportunity to showcase any character your sick mind desires. Want to create a cross-dressing, deaf/mute, corrupt politician who has a soft spot for saving children? Go for it!”
10. “Don’t misunderstand me; I don’t want to die alone, but spending quality time with myself 60 to 70 percent of the day is my idea of mecca.”
11. “As Ralph Ellison once posited, we’re invisible to them. We’re simply not on their radar. As long as the people who are in charge aren’t us, things will never change.”
12. “How hard is it to portray a three-dimensional woman of color on television or in film? I’m surrounded by them. They’re my friends. I talk to them every day. How come Hollywood won’t acknowledge us? Are we a joke to them? Now, having been in the industry for a couple of years, I’m not entirely sure it’s blatant racism, as I had once assumed. It’s more complicated than that.”
13. “I thrive on obstacles. If I’m told that it can’t be done, then I push harder.”
14. “Stop making excuses; you’re the only one stopping you.”
15. ” Stop finding the ways that you can’t do something and find all the ways that you can and just go for it.”
16. “My confidence comes from doing what I love to be honest, like to be able to create something from the ground up and to be able to… kind of walk in your purpose is a great feeling.”
17. “Embrace who you are now and embrace what makes your different.”
18. “If people don’t like you for who you are then those people aren’t meant to be in your life. You don’t want them there anyway.”
19. “Stop trying to impress people by being someone you’re not.”
20. “There’s so much creativity in brokeness. Brokeness will have you making it work.”
21. “Normally I don’t tell people about the projects that I want to do… some people have a tendency to be like “ah, you should do this” or discourage you from doing it and I would get in my own head.”