Hulu’s ‘The Other Black Girl’ uses style to express black female ambition

Hulu another black girlThe show, which premieres on September 13, has its theme closely tied to its styling.

As the plot unfolds, toying with notions of black femininity, respectability, and performance, the protagonists drift across the screen like chameleons, switching off their hair, costumes, and signature lipstick.

It’s rare to see a TV show where hair products are a major plot point. For a show like this, the hair, just like the makeup and clothes, must be worthy of the star’s publicity.

Based on the 2021 novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris. another black girl works like stepford wives For black women. On one side of the aisle are people other than robots. When the show opens, people like the main character Nella, wearing a Peter Pan collar and sensible cardigan, a baby Afro, and no make-up. On the other side are people who aren’t exactly robots, but who look way too cool to be normal humans. Like Hazel, the new girl in Nella’s office, with her hair in a long, dramatic bun and wearing a floral print blazer in editorial form.

At first, Nella is relieved to see another black woman at the tony all-white publishing house where she works. She thinks Hazel’s clothes are indescribably cool, and she’s happy to join Hazel in her promise to look out for each other in a publishing industry rife with microaggressions.

But Nella gradually begins to suspect that something is a little off about Hazel. Whenever an opportunity arises to confront the white gatekeepers of cultural power, Hazel recoils. She tells Nella that she thinks she is more effective working within the system than outside it. And she seems to strangely insist that Nella should think that way too.

Hazel and Nella play different versions of being black women. As the show progresses, their performance also evolves.upon another black girl, A major change in style means a major change in both personality and politics. On this show, the people who dress the coolest are also the most conformists.

Wilford Harwood/Hulu

For the show’s costume designer, Cairo Coates, Nella’s style journey reflects the evolution of the typical professional black woman. “For many of us, it’s an evolution of how we started,” Coates says. “In corporate America, you try to copy, you try to fit in. You know you don’t want to make waves. That’s what Nera is doing.”

But after Hazel dresses her in a sharp plaid blazer and bold red lip for a big networking event, Nella begins to change her mind about her style.

“You made me look like you,” Nella says, looking at herself with a mixture of joy and fear.

“You’re welcome,” Hazel sings.

After her first makeover, Nella “admired women who were bolder than me,” Coates explains. Hazel is one of a group of chic, accomplished and professional black women whom Nella admires for their confidence and style.

Coates imagines Hazel’s style to be similar to Nella’s style if she wasn’t constantly trying to fit in. “What would happen if there were no obstacles to play a role in business?” she asks. “What would happen if you brought your culture and style to the forefront and it showed up in every space you’re in? Because in many cases, that’s not allowed for black women. To free people from inhibitions. If we could, what would it look like?”

Hazel thrives unhindered. She also sabotages and subtly betrays others. She intends to represent her own culture, but she is also willing to betray it if it serves her own purposes. Nella, on the other hand, seems to have come to the conclusion that she can only advocate for black people in the workplace by cosplaying and disguising herself in the most bland clothes she can think of.

Hazel’s style is supposed to resemble Nella’s aspirational style goals, for slightly darker reasons. “A lot of Hazel’s looks were based on the people she wanted to recruit,” explains Pamela Hall, head of the hair department.

Targeting international Nella, Hazel ties her hair up. However, in flashbacks, we see her with silk-pressed natural curls and even ironed hair. Her Hazel style is not about unapologetically expressing herself, her ambitions and her culture. It’s about how she thinks her targets want to see themselves. She doesn’t seem to have a real sense of expressing herself.

But for the audience to understand why Nella is attracted to her, they have to find Hazel’s style just as appealing as Nella does. Essie Cha, head of the makeup department, says she completely understands the appeal of Hazel and her entourage. “These are gorgeous women, smart, elegant and successful,” Cha jokes. “I would take it. [their secret] A full bucket. ”

Isn’t it the same for everyone? Everyone seems to find Hazel more attractive than Nella, including Nella’s co-workers. Hazel is easy to like.She has enough freedom to show off her casual chic style White women are always exploiting black women. She gave her white colleagues ample opportunity to practice her own version of cultural tolerance, including bringing cakes from Harlem to share and lying that her grandparents ate the same cake on their first night together. I’m following it. But Hazel’s blackness was born without any meaningful challenge to the status quo. The fantasy of a completely free professional black woman remains a fantasy at the end of the day.

another black girl It will premiere on Hulu on September 13th..