Saturday, February 27, 2016

Badass Femmes: The Ladies of 'Set It Off'

Badass Femmes is a bi-weekly column that I write on Crome Yellow about all the Badass Females in pop culture that has shaped my life.

Nowadays, there aren’t enough films about female friendships – at least not the ones that represent real women, hustling through life, singular interactions intact. This is why I keep coming back to F. Gary Gray’s iconic film, Set It Off, starring the some of the most prestigious black women of our time – Vivica A. Fox as Frankie, Jada Pinkett as Stony (before she was a Smith), Queen Latifah as Cleo and Kimberly Elise as Tisean. In truth, I could’ve written an entire Badass Femmes focused on Pinkett’s beautiful and resilient Stony, but these women individually are even more special as a whole. It’s who they are with and without each other that drives the film’s story. The results are an immaculately fleshed out and emotionally resonating film, showcasing the daily hustle of the working woman when faced with brutally real moments of economic crisis. These ladies represent the many real-life women out there who fearlessly make hard decisions when their backs are against the wall, reflecting a harsh reality that rings true today more than ever.

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