Like nearly every other black woman in the United States of America, I kicked off my weekend by going to see Girls Trip with one of my best friends. The movie follows four college BFFs as they reunite for a long overdue girls trip to New Orleans for ESSENCE Festival.
Ryan (Regina Hall), Sasha (Queen Latifah), Lisa (Jada Pinket-Smith) and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) formed the “Flossy Posse” during their time together at FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) but over time let their busy lives got in the way of their #squadgoals.
Yes, Girls Trip is a raunchy R-rated comedy that will have you gasping and guffawing from beginning to end, but its message of friendship and female empowerment isn’t lost in the laughter.
In the film Regina Hall’s character Ryan is a best-selling author and Queen Latifah’s Sasha is a journalist turned celebrity gossip blogger. With two writers driving the storyline, you know I was instantly hooked. And while watching I couldn’t help but be reminded of how important it is not only for black women to have a sister circle to uplift them as they navigate both their personal and professional lives, but that female writers — of all races — need a Flossy Posse, too.
As a writer and blogger who is also trying to be a boss, I need a tribe of women who know and understand my dreams and who will have my back as I pursue them.
Girls Trip reminds us we need a Flossy Posse to be in our corner when the haters come out. For a blogger this probably won’t turn into a dance off as if does in the film, but it could mean having loyal friends and fans who will check critics in your comments section.
Girls Trip reminds us why women writers need a Flossy Posse to keep us true to our craft and to ourselves. Maybe you haven’t traded journalism for celebrity gossip like Sasha, but perhaps you have started filling your blog with sponsored posts for companies you don’t even believe in on products you don’t even care about. Maybe you’re writing a book on a topic that you think will make money with little regard to whether or not it will make a difference. Or maybe you’re so focused on building your brand that you’re willing to sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of a perfect persona. Your Flossy Posse will shut down all of this nonsense!
Girls Trip reminds us we need a Flossy Posse to keep us from failing to live our lives while we’re trying to make a living. Girls Trip has a great message about loyalty to loved ones and about speaking and living your truth, but it’s also just flat-out fun. I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in a movie theater since the debut of Bridesmaids. Sometimes we need to get together with other women writers and bloggers not to talk shop but just to let loose and have a good time. I saw Girls Trip with a friend who is also a poet. After the movie we, of course, talked about the books we’re working on and the speaking engagements we hope to do in the next year. But we also talked about college life, married life, and how we cannot believe (or accept) that Kofi Siriboe (the Queen Sugar heartthrob who is also in Girls Trip) is only 23 years old!
The blogosphere, writing world, and publishing industry is always changing. Trying to stay ahead or even keep up can often feel impossible. But as Regina Hall’s Ryan says in the film “Our girlfriends are our constant.” And that’s why we women writers will always need a Flossy Posse of our own.
If you’re looking for a squad of women to help you pursue your writing, blogging, and business goals, join us in the See Jane Write Facebook group.
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