288 pages
English language
Published June 9, 2023 by HarperCollins Publishers, HarperOne.
Aisha Harris has made a name for herself as someone you can turn tofor a razor-sharp take on whatever show or movie everyoneis talking about. Now, she turns her talents inward, mining the benchmarks of her nineties childhood and beyond to analyze the tropes that are shaping all of us, and our ability to shape them right back.
In the opening essay, an interaction with Chance the Rapper prompts an investigation into the origin myth of her name. Elsewhere, Aisha traces the evolution of the “Black Friend” trope from its Twainian origins through to the heyday of the Spice Girls, teen comedies like Clueless, and sitcoms of the New Girl variety. And she examines the overlap of taste and identity in this era, rejecting the patriarchal ethos that you are what you like. Whatever the subject, sitting down with her book feels like hanging out with your smart, hilarious, pop …
Aisha Harris has made a name for herself as someone you can turn tofor a razor-sharp take on whatever show or movie everyoneis talking about. Now, she turns her talents inward, mining the benchmarks of her nineties childhood and beyond to analyze the tropes that are shaping all of us, and our ability to shape them right back.
In the opening essay, an interaction with Chance the Rapper prompts an investigation into the origin myth of her name. Elsewhere, Aisha traces the evolution of the “Black Friend” trope from its Twainian origins through to the heyday of the Spice Girls, teen comedies like Clueless, and sitcoms of the New Girl variety. And she examines the overlap of taste and identity in this era, rejecting the patriarchal ethos that you are what you like. Whatever the subject, sitting down with her book feels like hanging out with your smart, hilarious, pop culture–obsessed friend—and it’s a delight.
Observations of a Black Millennial pop-culture junkie who teethed on The Little Mermaid. Ponders successive generations' tendency to produce fewer good/evil narratives in favor of messy relationships. Disney was a shaping force for her; she describes growing into a love-hate relationship with the Mouse. At the end, she's clubbed and dragged by Megyn Kelly. Recommended (the book, not the dragging).
