Living Single
I loved Living Single in college. Created by Yvette Lee Bowser it ran from 1994 to 1998. I actually lost a couple of friends from high school due to the show. They always showed up in my dorm room on Thursday nights to watch Friends but when I realized Living Single was on at the same time, I had to nix that. Needless to say, they stopped showing up.
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But that was a “90’s kinda world.”
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Girlfriends debuted in 2000 and quickly filled the void Living Single left. Created by Mara Brock Akil and produced by Kelsey Grammer this show quickly grew in fame. I decided to compare the two. And found some stark contrasts.
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For example:
1. The quality of hair weaves –
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Living Single: Regine’s wigs were ridiculous, Sinclair’s wild braids, Max’s ‘I don’t know what you call it’ hair, and Khadijah’s around the way girl coif were NOT the business.
Girlfriends: These ladies always looked like they had just spent six hours in a salon. Not to say that they didn’t have some hair raising moments, notably Lynn and Maya. I must say in protest, I hated when Joan turned in her wild curly 'fro for a straighter do. Afro's of the world UNITE. LOL.
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2. Quality of the men:
Girlfriends wins this hands down for two reasons; Dondre Whitfield as the character Sean (Joan’s boyfriend) and Khalil Kain as the character Darnell (Maya’s husband)
Living Single had the worst quality of men. Seriously, nearly every brother on there was suspect, including TC Carson. They all seemed REALLY old too, especially, John Henton (Overton), although cute.
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3. Believability: Living Single wins this one for me. This all boils down to image. Regine, Max, Khadijah, and Sinclair looked like women I knew. They had realistic weights and heights and makeup. Girlfriends, Joan, Maya, Toni, and Lynn all are super tall, super thin, supermodel types. Not that that’s wrong, just slightly less realistic.
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I must admit that Girlfriends is my favorite of the two. Mara Brock Akil created a fascinating show with beautiful and witty characters that are multi-faceted and interesting. During the shows run each character went through a metamorphosis becoming more real and mature. I can honestly say, as I have watched, I have been a little bit of Joan, a little bit of Lynn, not so much of Toni, but a little bit of Maya.
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So sad that shows that speak to the Sistahood experience are so few and far between.
