Interview: New Web Series Shows Us Where the “Real Girl’s” Are

Lesbians are so lucky. Sure, it may still be hard for us to find adequate representation in television and film, but that really hasn’t stopped our vast pool of talented writers, directors, producers, and actresses from consistently bringing us quality entertainment. We are a community that decided to ignore the mainstream decision makers and forge ahead in the world of storytelling on film. The webseries has become the tool by which determined and skilled artists are sharing their work with those who appreciate it the most. And as the webseries format grows more and more popular, the quality of the productions utilizing it seems to increase as well. “The Real Girl’s Guide to Everything Else,” for example, is so well executed that as the viewer you find yourself forgetting that the screen you are in front of is connected to a computer. Written, created, and produced by Carmen Elena Mitchell (who also plays one of the leads), the series centers around Rasha  (Robin Daléa) – “a journalist, nearly dropped by her agent because her work is too smart, political, lesbian and feminist, [who] goes undercover as a glitter-wearing, shoe-obsessed, Cosmo-drinking straight girl.” It’s intellectual, witty, creative, and unique. Four episodes have aired so far and the fandom of the series is increasing fast due to terrific acting, directing, writing… it’s all just very good. With Rasha currently risking her marriage to girlfriend Liz to investigate the history and lives of women in Afghanistan, we caught up with the woman behind her (Mitchell) to learn more about this exciting new addition to lesbian programming.

Cherry Grrl (CG): First of all, love the series. It’s smart and funny and refreshing. How and when did you come up with the idea for the story?

Carmen Elena Mitchell: The idea came out my growing frustration with a lot of mainstream television shows and films marketed towards women. I felt like I wasn’t seeing myself in these movies. I wasn’t seeing my friends. I wasn’t hearing our conversations. Why was everything about chasing unavailable men and pining over expensive footwear? Where were the conversations about politics, books, art, and our careers? Why was there always this prevailing refrain that “every little girl dreams about the perfect wedding day”? Not only is it assumed that every little girl is straight, but it is assumed that this is a perfectly acceptable life-goal. And while I’m not anti-fashion, anti-relationship, or anti-girly-girl, I feel like there’s so much more to explore in women’s lives.

CG: There are a lot of obvious references to Sex and the City. Were you a fan of the show/movie?

Carmen: Sex and the City has become this iconic entity (you can even take an online quiz to find out which character you are!), so what I was really trying to address is what SATC has been made into by our culture and how it has become a bible for single-straight girl-dom. In terms of the series itself, I have a lot of conflicting feelings. On the one hand, I think it was a really smart and interesting show about women in an age group that has been traditionally overlooked by studios. I loved that the women’s sexual proclivities we’re not seen as “sluttiness” or pathological in any way. I loved when the writers took on issues like cancer and when Samantha snagged herself a girlfriend for a few episodes. On the other hand the show mostly centered around wealthy white straight women whose friendships seemed to grow out of bonding over men and shopping. And then the movie version came out, which I felt lacked some of the substance of the series and felt like a fashion show with a little bit of story thrown in for fun. I saw the movie with one of my producers, Reena Dutt (Sydney), and my friend Vivian Rogers (who inspired the character of Vanna). Both of them pointed out that while Jennifer Hudson’s character appeared to be an attempt at diversifying the rich-white-girl world, the way she was written (as the low-income fashionista who rents her designer handbags by the week) fell into some unfortunate stereotyping.

CG: What were you looking for in your lead character, Rasha, when casting?

Carmen: Rasha, in many ways, is me… or maybe the kind of woman I aspire to be. She’s an activist and writer on a mission, but one who stumbles all the time (both literally and figuratively) and often finds herself in bizarre situations borne out of her own insatiable curiosity. I had a very specific vision in my head when I wrote her: soft butch, unintentionally sexy, a feminist with a capital “F.” I’m the daughter of two university professors and grew up surrounded by brilliant women who were always talking politics and taking me to protest marches. My mom’s crowd wasn’t really into “spa-dates” or shopping. So, in a way, Rasha was inspired by them as well and by so many of the women I know and admire but who I wasn’t seeing in mainstream TV and film (or at least not in starring roles). The thing that I loved about Robin [Dalea] was that she brought this fierce intelligence and passion to the role. She loved the fact that Rasha was a strong and unconventional leading lady. Like Rasha, the integrity of the stories Robin tells as an actor are really important to her.

CG:  The Lebanese/lesbian thing is great. Does Robin Daléa truly fit both of those descriptions?

Carmen: The answer is no and no…though we’re working on her (for the latter at least!). The truth is I had no idea about the answer to either of those questions when Robin auditioned for us, and when she left the audition room I didn’t care and I didn’t ask, I just thought… “wow, I think we found Rasha!”

CG: Four episodes in we have really only seen into Rasha’s personal life. Are any of the other 3 characters lesbians?

Carmen: The other three are “straight identified”…but that’s something that’s going to evolve in the next season. Sydney is what I would call an “aspiring lesbian,” where as Angie is still stuck in kind of an eighth grade boy-crazy fantasy world and hasn’t really explored her sexuality fully, and is probably a bit closeted. Vanna is fairly straight…but as a die-hard fashionista she doesn’t like to be left out of anything that might be “trendy.” I’m working with the idea that sexuality is fluid thing. So while all the women exist somewhere on the spectrum between gay and straight, how they identify themselves is a function of living in a society where we are encouraged to “choose” an identity. We’ll definitely see more of this (and get to know Angie, Vanna, and Sydney a bit better) in Season 2.