Red Is The New Black
Updated: Feb 7, 2019
Most of us are about to have or are already having CNY fever; never mind the succulent mandarin oranges, fat cash filled angpows and them sleek cheongsams -- on top of all that, you get yourself two whole days or a week (if you’re a student/teacher) to sleep in. Can I get a YAAAAAS?
Since we all grew up knowing that red is a significant colour for ushering prosperity or ‘ong’ as we say, you’re bound to spot all things red in the next couple of weeks. And speaking of red, we have Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter, Willow and 64 year old mother, Adrienne Banfield-Jones also referred to as Gam or Gammy killing it with their Facebook Watch show, “Red Table Talk”.
The show features personal and intimate experiences within the Smith household and bigger social issues that impact them and other women around the world. Most of the time, you’ll find yourself saying, “OMG! YES! I feel that too.” Don’t trust me? Well, watch and find out for yourself. What gives it so much depth and complexity? Vulnerability. The trio go back and forth providing multigenerational outlooks on topics ranging from body image struggles to sex to relationship and marital challenges.
Speaking of marriage, the two-part episode in which Will Smith makes his entry to the red table is a must watch. The Smiths have been rumoured to be in the midst of a divorce and having an open marriage. Will and Jada not only address these rumours but they also elaborate on the root causes of why these rumours were spreading like wildfire.
Personally, it was an eye opener to hear Will say, “We broke up within our marriage and got back together again. And had to rebuild with new rules and something way, completely different.” That hit me hard.
As a girl, I grew up with this idea of a sunny and happy romance trip that will then last to become an even sunnier marriage. I mean, we all have grown up watching rom-com movies and listening to sappy songs imagining the kind of love we will have when we find our Mr/Mrs. Right. A love that will love us in all the right ways. And then, we become adults and hold on to our fantasies and guess what? It ain’t as what we hoped for love to be.
Most times, we learn that reality and truth are nowhere close to our expectations, not even close to our perfect sunny romance which we held on to for so long. Sometimes, we end our relationships on the pretext of it not being what we expected for it to be.
All that we know about love and what romanticism have been utterly destroyed by the idea of Love sold to us by movies, media and social pressure. Go ahead and sue me.
Each episode on the Red Table Talk brings a fresh new outlook towards all things difficult that most in the contemporary world face today. Be sure to recognise while watching, that just when you think you’re alone facing all these things in your head, the whole world is with you. Trust me, it’ll be a good use of your time even so yay-guilt-free-binge sesh!
Written By: Phavanjit Kaur
_
About the writer :
Phavanjit is currently a Teach for Malaysia fellow in Pasir Gudang, Johor. She writes to remain centered amidst lesson planning and bureaucratic demands. She enjoys rainy days with a hot mug of chai and a good book. She really is obsessed with all things 'p' — photography, philosophy and pancakes. Read more of her thoughts surrounding her journey to be more present here.