Why Issa Rae Stands by That Controversial Blowjob Scene on ‘Insecure’

After facing backlash for a scene on her HBO comedy-drama, “Insecure,” which suggested that white women prefer to give blowjobs more than black women, Issa Rae is breaking her silence. In a recent interview with the New York Post, the 32-year-old star and creator argued that the scene’s racial politics, which some critics deemed “regressive,” was backed by real-life conversations and stigmas.

As a refresher: In the second season of “Insecure,” Rae’s character, along with three of her black female friends, discuss blowjobs. Out of the four women, only one admits to enjoying giving head. The other three detest the act in varying degrees. The character who admits liking blowjobs is then made fun of, with the other women calling her “light-skinned” and claiming that she was “brainwashed” by the “white private schools” she attended. After the episode aired, Rae immediately came under fire by critics and fans for the scene’s somewhat conservative take on blowjobs.

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Defending her writing, Rae contended that the scene was simply based on a longstanding stereotype about white women. “We were referencing something in the past that had been said and thought,” Rae said. “People called blowjobs ‘Beckys,’ and that’s a white girl name. I think people are way more sexually free and liberal currently.

Source: Instagram

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She also argued that the scene was influenced by real-life conversations she’s had with black and white female friends. “But I will say that in conversations that I’ve had, a lot of my black female friends will have sex with a guy before they give him head,” Rae said. “And a lot of my white female friends would be like, ‘No, I’d rather give head than have sex.’ That was the conversation that we were kind of having in the room.”