Dating and colorism collide in the upcoming episode of Grown-ish, “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp.”
Chloe and Halle’s Jazz and Sky Forster are having a tough time navigating the college dating scene and while out with friends, spark a conversation about colorism and the realities of dating as Black women.
“When we first read the script we were just excited to get to go deeper into Jazz and Sky’s characters. We were also excited because Grown-ish was opening this dialogue for people to talk about colorism, whether it’s within in the community or just finding yourself,” Chloe said to ESSENCE. “Everyone has insecurities and can definitely relate to this episode because when you get out of your comfort zone into a new space, you feel very insecure and you may feel unwanted, whether it’s in a friendship way or a relationship way. We were so happy with how it showed all angles and all perspectives.”
In the clip, Jazz and Sky discuss their recent dry spell and wonder if the reason they aren’t getting dates is because Black men prefer white women and non-Black women of color.
Halle also explained her thoughts on the importance of seeing Black women in the entertainment industry. “I feel like representation is so important. I think that when we were younger we were blessed to be able to have images of Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Missy Elliott and seeing how they were unapologetically themselves and unapologetically beautiful Black women,” she said. “But a lot of the times, if you see mainstream media, you don’t see a lot of yourself as a young Black girl. That’s why it’s very important for that representation to be seen and that’s why we feel so blessed and grateful to be a part of this show.”
Aside from their work on Grown-ish the duo is gearing up to release their debut album, The Kids Are Alright. Fans can expect to hear “Grown” and “Warrior,” which appears in the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time movie.
“There is definitely a theme with our album and it’s knowing that we’ll be okay no matter what is going on around us. No matter our insecurities and what we’re fearing, we will be okay. That’s why we called this album The Kids Are Alright,” Chloe said.
As for the generation of young women and girls who will look up to Chloe and Halle the way they looked up to stars like Beyoncé and Missy, the duo hopes that young women learn that they are enough.
“What we hope that they can learn or take away from us is that there is beauty in who you are, in who you truly are, and you don’t have to try to be anybody else,” Chloe said. “You’re perfect the way you are. Believe in yourself and dream big, anything is possible. There’s no limitations on what you can do.”
