Gentrification, Republicans, and Breaking In Race on Girls Caitlin McLean Columbia College Chicago (2015)
Since its premiere, Girls has been criticized for its lack of diversity. It’s hard to watch the show without being blinded by its whiteness, and some have said that this sea of beige is misrepresentative of New York City. A few people of color are seen on the show, usually peppered throughout party scenes, but this and any latter season attempts to “bridge the gap” are hardly satisfying.
However, it’s somewhat unfair to constantly criticize Lena Dunham for having a show that “lacks diversity.” Girls may actually be accurate in portraying contemporary cultural issues of New Watercooler Journal
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York City. As for writing characters of color, Girls showrunner Lena Dunham is a white female, and to expect her to write characters of color is unfair to her and her viewers. But just because she shouldn’t write these characters doesn’t mean that these characters can’t exist on the show. Dunham has the power to hire more people of color on the creative side of production. This could give struggling writers who are black, Latino, Asian-American, etc. a chance to finally break into the business while finally giving Girls some well-rounded characters of color.
“Not only are they pushing people out of their neighborhoods, but they’re also pushing similar people out of the entertainment industry.” Thirty years ago, the Cosbys lived in Brooklyn. Today, Hannah Horvath moved in and brought her blandness with her. Since the premiere, there has been a lot of chatter about whether or not Girls accurately portrays New York City. Some critics say that it’s too white and doesn’t capture the multicultural essence of the city. There have been countless remarks from older critics of Girls who used to live in New York City claiming that what Girls looks like is not what the city looked like. However, the show’s whiteness reflects a very real issue currently happening in Brooklyn and other parts of New York: gentrification. The show is so white because the city is becoming so white. These older critics are right; this is not their New York City because New York City from thirty years ago is vastly different from the New York City of today. Where Hannah lives, gentrification is a major occurrence. According to a study by Michael Petrilli in which he found the top fifty zip codes with the largest growth in white population, seven zip codes came from New York City—four of which were in Brooklyn, where the show mainly takes place. The girls live in neighborhoods that were once very diverse, but thanks to them and legions of people just like them, diversity has been squashed out in favor of hip coffee shops and renovated apartments. In the Girls season two finale, Ray is offered a managerial job at a new Grumpy’s opening up in Brooklyn Heights. He replies, “Fuck it. Brooklyn Heights is classy.” Brooklyn Heights is the perfect gentrified neighborhood. Once a slum with cheap housing for the working class, the neighborhood has been transformed into a haven for young professionals. Due to its proximity to Wall Street, many wealthy types came in Watercooler Journal
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to buy up real estate, kick out the poor, and renovate the entire neighborhood. During the process of renovation, they removed the “flavor” the neighborhood had. This is why Dunham’s New York City seems so “bland.” Joshua from “One Man’s Trash” constantly tells Hannah about all the renovations he’s made to the house and how it was a real fixer-upper. We might imagine a poorer family living there before property taxes went and foreclosure swept the street. All of Girls’ characters are guilty of a role in gentrification.
In the season two premiere, Hannah and Elijah throw a party in which we see several people of color milling about in the background. It’s slightly insulting that they’re placed in the background. It’s like when a white person says, “Yeah, I have a black friend” and then they trot that friend out at functions to prove that a.) they’re not racist and b.) they’re cool. But when Girls finally does try to bring color into its supporting cast—with Donald Glover as Sandy—Lena Dunham did the exact same thing—she just let him talk. Upon hearing that Glover was cast, it seemed like an obvious choice. He’s a rising star who’s very palatable to white audiences. Then, once I saw him in his two-episode arc, I realized that I wanted this, but I didn’t really want this. A black Republican? It felt like the only reason Sandy was Republican was so Hannah could Watercooler Journal
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easily break up with him without exhibiting racial tension. It was unfair to Glover’s character that he had to become a mouthpiece for all the racial criticism the show had received. As a young woman of color who has her eyes on the entertainment industry, there is nothing more frustrating than to hear, “If you don’t like the way things are, go out and change them.” To be blunt, Hollywood is a whitewashed town. When people of color speak out about Hollywood’s whiteness, someone always repeats that dreaded phrase, “If you don’t like the way things are, go out and change them,” without realizing how hard it is for people of color to even break into the business, let alone create their own series or movie. According to the 2012 DGA Diversity Report, fourteen percent of television directors are men of color; only two percent are women of color. If this is ever going to change, then people in power need to hire more people of color. As showrunner, Lena Dunham could bring some women of color into her writing team to add some different perspectives to her show. These opportunities shouldn’t be hand-outs; there is a lot of undiscovered talent out there being ignored or swept aside because of race. Girls plays it safe by solely being about straight, white, upper-middle-class girls. Exploring the lives of all kinds of women gives the viewer a more interesting and more engaging show. Orange is the New Black did this and received praise from countless critics. However, Girls is on HBO and Orange is the New Black is on Netflix, which maybe hints that broadcast TV isn’t ready for true diversity. Girls is a true reflection of the current state of media and race relations within the U.S., and both the country and Girls deserve equal criticism, as they reflect one another. Hipsters and modern-day yuppies are gentrifying former havens of diversity. Hannah Horvath and people like her are at the center of New York City becoming its own boring joke. Not only are they pushing people out of their neighborhoods, but they’re also pushing similar people out of the entertainment industry. The people in control of the entertainment industry have the power to change this but seem uninterested in telling stories involving people of color. White artists tend to see their view as universal instead of limited, and the Girls season two episode “I Get Ideas” illustrates this. Hannah asks Sandy what he thought of her essay, and he replies, “It wasn’t for me.” Hannah quips, “Well, I mean it was probably for you, it’s for everyone.” Girls sees itself as being universal and the voice of a generation but conveniently forgets all the women of color who are left unrepresented in the show. This show can tout its universality all it wants but until it can truly deliver and include other kinds of women, then it’s not for me.
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image credits, in order: ©HBO Studios ©HBO Studios Watercooler Journal
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