"Grown-ish" Girl Boss
I adore Yara Shahidi. I’ll admit I’m a pretty new fan, as I rarely watched “Black-ish” and for the longest time only really noticed her when she was featured on Zendaya’s Instagram. But after hearing in summer 2017 about her 2018 Harvard University acceptance along with her fierce dedication to activism, I decided to follow her on Instagram and I’ve never looked back. As a first generation Black Iranian American, Yara has used her platform to speak about social justice issues including the Muslim Ban, Black Lives Matter and education inequality. She’s even worked on Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn education initiative — earning a college recommendation letter from the former first lady herself.
Unsurprisingly, she was included in Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in 2017 and is currently starring in the “Black-ish” spinoff “Grown-ish,” a show about Zoey Johnson, a fashionable and artistic student experiencing her first year at Cal U filled with new friendships, internships, romance and tough decisions. I began watching the show as soon as it aired even after the admittedly cringey trailers were released, praying I could get myself to support Yara in her newest project. Although the first few episodes were a little silly sometimes in a “we’re trying to relate to the teens” way, I stuck it out and am now addicted. I look forward to every Wednesday night at 7 on Freeform (or whenever I’m free Thursday on Hulu if I miss it). Watching Zoey grow and learn how to be an adult her freshman year of college is refreshing because even if her experience isn’t exactly the same as mine was, her drive for her dream career and close friendships are universal.
“Grown-ish” begins during Zoey’s first week of classes her freshman year, after she misses her registration deadline and ends up in a midnight class. The students who sit next to her quickly become her closest friends, along with her roommate who’s played by Francia Raisa (Yes, the Francia Raisa who donated her kidney to Selena Gomez!). In the next few episodes, “Grown-ish” explores the identities of Zoey and her diverse friend group, who struggle with their own problems such as their sexuality, religion, being student athletes and selling drugs.
Overall, the problems Zoey and her friend group face are pretty on par with what normal college students face – even Northwestern college students. “Grown-ish” admirably attempts to change the college narrative by discussing realistic college student problems and situations that not many shows include. Instead of depicting college students as having all the time in the world and hardly any work, Zoey on “Grown-ish” struggles with time management between studying, friendships and romantic relationships all while putting together a bomb outfit for her classes every day. (Which personally is the best part of the show for me. Even if she’s just a character, I’m glad I’m not that only one who’s committed to a full-on OOTD when it’s 9 a.m.) Most Northwestern students can relate to similar struggles of deciding whether to go out on a Thursday night, answer a late night “You up?” text, study or get some rest before a morning class.
Zoey’s true love for fashion is what inspires her to apply for a Teen Vogue fellowship within only the first few months of her freshman year, proving she’d fit right in with Medill students. It comes as no surprise that the queen of mixing prints and layering accessories, along with the other fashion icon in the friend group, Luka (played by male model Luka Sabbat who’s friends with Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid!), gets accepted to the program and begins her hectic new Teen Vogue life. But just like an overeager Northwestern student at her first internship, Zoey struggles with making mistakes and trying not to post every second of her day at Teen Vogue on social media. After almost fatally posting an Instagram picture leaking a brand’s new secret collection, Zoey loses her spot shadowing TV editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth (who also is the real former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue! She’s such a big fan of “Grown-ish” she even co-wrote an episode). The latest episode ends with Zoey learning a big lesson about the journalism industry and vowing to work hard to not make the same mistake again — a lesson all college students at their first dream internship eventually learn.
Zoey’s passion for her future career and work ethic are inspiring to watch, especially in this new generation of women set on becoming girl bosses. Although she can be self-centered at times, Zoey’s unapologetic realness and drive make her relatable to college women today. It’s an added bonus that the actress who plays her is just as influential. Whether it’s through her activism, fashion or acting, I have no doubt Yara (and Zoey) will continue to inspire girls everywhere as they grow in their individual successes.