I listened this morning to the James Corden podcast, This Life of Mine, for the first time and I decided to start with his episode featuring Tracee Ellis Ross. Tracee Ellis Ross, for me, is just, luminescent. She is 51 and part of the episode focused on what it is like to be at this time of life, which I can relate to.
But more importantly for me, the reason Tracee stands out is because she has been in my background consciousness throughout my adulthood. When I was growing up in Canada, there were no English movies or television shows, featuring South Asian stories or actors. And for me, the bond I saw between Black characters or Latinas, was closer to what I saw in my family dynamic, with my West Indian family and my South Asian friends. And so Girlfriends became a staple for me.
I loved the dynamic between the 4 girlfriends, living the LA lifestyle. Tracee’s character played a lawyer named Joan and I was just entering the legal profession, so her character is the one that I resonated with. I loved her style on the show and her confidence in work, but her lack of confidence in her personal life, which again, I related to. Girlfriends gave me 30 minutes of wishing I was a part of that dynamic and gave me an outlet to see someone not white, dealing with some of the issues, I was encountering in law (not being seen as one of the club, fighting for recognition etc…)
Fast forward to Black-ish, which was a staple for my husband and I. We loved watching the family dynamic of 2 working professionals, juggling family, career and parents. Again, the playful dynamic between Tracee’s character Bow, and her husband Dre, resonated, because my husband and I will often try to tackle the day to day with laughter and fun, in the same way. However, we also do not shy away from having challenging discussions about world events and issues we are all encountering.
And so as I was listening to Tracee discuss her favourite show, “The Gilded Age” (mine too), I loved her response about her love for fashion. She described her fashion as being an artistic and creative outlet for her to express herself, and that struck a chord, because that is how I feel about fashion. It allows me to express myself artistically, on a daily basis, to personify, how I am feeling, reflecting the weather or providing me the armour to tackle the day’s events, of course always with style.
When I started off in law, I went and bought 3 expensive suits – one in black, dark grey and navy blue. Because we were in Court almost on a daily basis, those were my staples. And also, I wanted to be taken seriously and blend in. I did not want to draw any attention to myself in any way, other than for good work, because I was already different being a racialized woman with a nose ring.
However, throughout my tenure, and watching some really fun female lawyers both on television and in real life, show me that I can still be taken seriously, without sacrificing my style, I dived right in! And it truly brings joy to my day – accessorizing, and putting together a look. And I have totally accepted that if I am still going to stand out in any event, because I am a racialized female lawyer, I might as well give everyone something to look at. I was recently honoured with a legal award, which was very meaningful for me, and my look of choice was a bright pink brocade suit with an Asian print. I wanted to be true to myself and I wanted to feel comfortable being me. The suit was a hit and I hope that it also prompted others to make bold fashion choices.
But that’s just one Diva’s view!
@ThisLifeofMine @TraceeEllisRoss @fashion @Girlfriends @Black-ish
Diva's View 