[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/awkward-black-girl-_9492.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:340:[-Well, this is awkward.-] ]]


->''"My name is J, and I'm awkward -- and black. Someone once told me those were the two worst things anyone could be. That someone was right."''
-->-- '''J'''

''The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl'' is a comedy web series created by Creator/IssaRae and also starring her as the titular character, "J," a diet-pill salesperson who doesn't hate her job but thinks her co-workers are "pretty much the worst people in life." As a coping mechanism, she writes [[GratuitousRap rap lyrics]] that she considers "too Music/NickiMinaj" and obsesses over the awkward issues in her life. The show addresses concerns such as "What do you do when you constantly run into the same person at stop signs?", "How do you cover up waving to the wrong person?", and much more.

Rae came up with the idea for the show in 2009, believing it would be entertaining to depict [[CringeComedy awkward social scenarios]] since she considered awkwardness to be "a unifying and universal thing that we all have experienced in some capacity." The idea sat dormant for a while until Rae had the realization that there were few black female nerd characters on screen at the time, and she was personally unable to identify with sexy vixens and [[SassyBlackWoman sassy black women]] on TV, after which she began work to bring the show to life.

The show premiered on Website/YouTube on February 3, 2011 and sprung into popularity after only a couple of months due to word of mouth, blogs, and social media. [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1996857943/the-misadventures-of-awkward-black-girl A Kickstarter campaign]] set up to extend its first season ultimately raised $56,000, nearly double the goal of $30,000. A second season of the show aired between June 2012 and February 2013 on the [=YouTube=] channel of Music/PharrellWilliams' record label[=/=]collective i am OTHER. In December 2013, it was announced that the show had been picked up for television by {{Creator/HBO}}; the project eventually became a new series titled ''Series/{{Insecure}}''.

Check out the official site of the series at [[http://www.awkwardblackgirl.com AwkwardBlackGirl.com]].
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!!''The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl contains examples of:''
* AccidentalMisnaming: In "The Decision," J's boss lady keeps calling a new coworker (named Jesus) "jee-zus" when the name is actually pronounced "hay-soos." This leads to confusion when other people say the word "Jesus."
--> '''Nina''': Jee-zus! That is not a good idea.\\
'''Jesus''': ''Hay-soos''! All of my ideas are good. And I am your boss.
%% * AesopAmnesia: Amir
* AllLoveIsUnrequited:
** J has a huge crush on Fred, which he hardly notices. Also, White Jay has a crush on J beginning in "The Dance," but it is rather one-sided.
** [[spoiler: UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo as of Episode 7]]
%% * AlphaBitch: Nina
* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' touch J's stapler.
** Everybody in J's anger management class has one of these, eg. coworkers writing emails in Comic Sans, people not letting the microwave time run out.
%% * BetterAsFriends: As of the first season finale, J and [[spoiler:Fred.]]
%% * BlackAndNerdy: A
* BlackGalOnWhiteGuyDrama:
** PlayedForLaughs in "The Date." When J and [[TokenWhite White Jay]] walk into a restaurant all of the customers stare at them with a look of disapproval, including [[HypocriticalHumor a black man and white girl couple]].
--->'''J''': Am I dating the founder of the KKK? Why all the attention?
** In "The Friends", J is talking to someone at White Jay's ClassReunion and introduces herself as his girlfriend.
--->'''Random Guest''': I should've known by the look of that dress that you was a murderer. I'm tired of bitches killing black love.
* BrickJoke: [=CeCe=] randomly mentions that she had to go to Racial Insensitivity Training. Amir, who had disappeared sometime during the series due to RealLifeWritesThePlot, returns in the season finale, reformed by Racial Insensitivity Training. ([[PlaysGreatEthnics He needed it]].)
* BuffySpeak: J narrates this way frequently.
--> '''J''': Did he just Angry Black Woman me?
%% * ButtMonkey: J
* CallBack
** In "The Job," her [[InSeriesNickname boss lady]] (jokingly?) says to J, "girlfriend, how are we gonna get cornrows now?" When she shows up in "The Icebreaker," she's wearing cornrows.
** Space-invading co-worker with AIDS, or Patty, fired sometime before season 1 episode 4, keeps re-appearing.
** "I get you."
** J ''steals'' water from her anger management class. "Shit, I thought he said the water was free."
** "Dear sushi restaurant, thank you for not being Red Lobster."
* TheCameo: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_McCall Kevin McCall]] plays the rapper/freestyler who J had a crush on in the 11th grade.
* CerebusSyndrome: The first few episodes are more SliceOfLife and heavily focused on comedy. While the show never stops being comedic, it gradually becomes more focused on romance, and the second season is much more dramatic.
%% * ComicallyMissingThePoint
%% * CringeComedy
* ADegreeInUseless: When J has an ImagineSpot about what would happen if she took the "sales associate" job opening, she bumps into an old college friend, who whispers to her child, "This is where people who major in African-American Studies end up, sweetie."
%% * DoggedNiceGuy: White Jay
* {{Dominatrix}}: The cashier in the sex store J visits is an elderly woman dressed as one of these.
* [[DidNotGetTheGirl Did Not Get the Girl/Guy]]: Seesaws throughout the entire first season. A didn't get J. J didn't get Fred. White Jay didn't get J. [[spoiler: And in the end, Fred doesn't get J.]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first few episodes were more obviously low budget and were a lot shorter, compare the 5 minute first episode to the 25-minute season 1 finale.
%%* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Patty has been fired at least twice.
* GilliganCut: As a RunningGag. J would say something calmly (e.g. "I wasn't bothered by it"), then the show would cut to her rapping furiously about just the opposite.
* GratuitousGreek: The Gamma Ray sorority sisters wear matching T-shirts with the Greek letters of their sorority on the front. On another note, which letter of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_alphabet Greek alphabet]] is "ray?"
* GratuitousSpanish: When Jesus fires Patty ([[RunningGag again]]), they have a brief exchange in Spanish.
%% * GratuitousRap
* GreenEyedEpiphany: [[spoiler: Fred seemingly has one at the end of "The Date."]] Sort of a case of YouAreTooLate.
* HeWhoMustNotBeHeard: Darius, whose voice is so quiet that neither J nor the audience can understand what he is saying.
%% * HeterosexualLifePartners: J and [=CeCe=] (also known as "Curry Fried Chicken")
* HintDropping: Fred can't take the hint that J is interested, while A cannot take the hint that J is no longer interested.
%% * HolierThanThou: Delores a.k.a. Sister Mary Clarence.
* HopelessSuitor: A. It seemed as if [[spoiler: White Jay]] was heading into this direction as well but not anymore.
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: "I want to know Literature/IKnowWhyTheCagedBirdSings why [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_why_the_caged_bird_sings the caged bird sings]], I want to [[Film/HowStellaGotHerGrooveBack get my groove back]], and I want [[Theatre/ForColoredGirls the rainbow to be enuf]]. E-N-U-F."
* TheILoveYouStigma:
--> [[spoiler:'''White Jay''']]: I love you, J.\\
'''J''': Um ... Thank you. (''awkward pause'') That's what's up.
* ImagineSpot: The series is told from J's point of view so we get a lot of these.
* ImportantHaircut: J cuts off all her hair after her boyfriend dumps her in the first episode. Only for her boyfriend D to take her back, then dump her ''again'' because he can't deal with her being bald.
* InsistentTerminology:
** [=CeCe=] always "diagnoses" J with some kind of disorder, e.g. Rejection Displacement Syndrome or Intimacy Reasoning Disorder, in order to "make use" of her psychology degree.
** J's narration usually starts out with "It's not X, if you don't Y." Examples, "It's not violence, if you don't act on it." Or "It's not stalking, if you don't mean any harm."
* IntelligibleUnintelligible: Has become a RunningGag that Fred is the ''only'' one who can clearly hear what Darius is saying.
* JustFriends: J and Fred, much to her dismay [[spoiler:at first. Once she gets a chance to actually date him in the Season 1 finale, she realizes they are BetterAsFriends and chooses White J.]]
* LampshadeHanging
--> '''J''': Why is my life like a Website/YouTube video?
* LoveAtFirstSight: J falls for Fred the first time she sees him.
* LoveConfession: [[spoiler:Fred finally spits it out to J in "The Exes."]]
* LoveTriangle: A has a crush on J, who has a crush on Fred, who is dating Nina. It gets even more complicated when White Jay enters the mix.
* LoveInterest: J has ''two''. White Jay and Fred. Also A, but it's pretty much unrequited.
** The conflict reaches its climax in the Season 1 finale "The Decision", in which J is forced to choose between White Jay and Fred. [[spoiler:White Jay wins.]]
* MistakenForGay:
** When J first cuts her hair off in "The Exes"
** Also, when she ends up wearing White Jay's clothes to work in "The Sleepover."
* MistakenNationality:
** Armenian Amir uses this to [[PlaysGreatEthnics his advantage]].
--> '''J''': He's a walking rainbow of racism and the main reason he gets away with it is because nobody knows what he is.

** Happens to [=CeCe=] all the time. She's frequently mistaken for Latina, middle-eastern and "Pocahontas."
* NWordPrivileges
* NakedFirstImpression: At the end of "The Group", J decides to surprise White Jay by going to his apartment and showing him her boobs. Unfortunately, some of his college friends were also there.
* NaughtyByNight: J sees Dolores, aka Sister Mary Clarence at the sex toy store.
%% * NiceGuy: White Jay
%% * TheNicknamer: J. Mostly in her narration.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted, a parking attendant asks J if she needs a maxi-pad after she says it's just not her day.
* ObliviousToLove: Fred seems to be selectively oblivious to J's love, no matter how obvious she makes it. [[spoiler: At least up to "The Stapler."]]
* OffScreenBreakup: Averted in the first episode, as D breaks up with J not once but ''twice''.
%% * OneLetterName: Several characters have these.
* OperationJealousy: J tried this at Fred's birthday party by dancing with White Jay in order to incite a GreenEyedEpiphany. Ends up backfiring on her as he kisses Nina right in her face.
* PlaysGreatEthnics: Amir.
--> '''Amir''': (''with a fake Asian accent'') ''Haro'', I'm part Asian. I think I can calculate the total.
** And...
-->'''Amir''': We should totally get Cinco de Mayo off. I mean, my arms are ... shit ... they're still tired from all that swimming. Right, ''mija''?
--> '''[=CeCe=]''': You know [[MistakenNationality I'm not Mexican]].
* PointyHairedBoss: "My boss is an offensive dumb fuck of an idiot."
* {{Portmanteau}}: Jesus keeps using the word "teffort" -- a portmanteau of "team" and "effort."
* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy:
** J's boss
** For Halloween, White Jay goes as UsefulNotes/BarackObama.
--> '''White Jay''': "My fellow Americans."\\
'''J''': Who is that? Bill Clinton?\\
'''White Jay''': (''points to his name tag which reads'' "Michelle's Baby Daddy") Barack Obama!\\
'''J''': [[SarcasmMode How could I possibly not get that]]?
%% * PrinceCharmingWannabe: A
* PromotedToLoveInterest: Happens to [[spoiler:White Jay]] in episode 6.
* [[PsychoExGirlfriend Psycho Ex-Lover]]: A will not leave J alone!
* RealitySubtext: White Jay mistakes [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Glover Danny Glover]] for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Glover Donald Glover's]] dad. This happens to Donald quite a lot, actually, in RealLife.
--> '''J''': Danny Glover is not his dad. They're just [[UnfortunateImplications black together]].
* RelationshipReveal:
** For Fred and Nina in episode 5.
** [[spoiler:[[LoveTriangle Jesus[=/=]Amir[=/=]Patty]]]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
--> '''J''': No one even likes you. So get out of my face! (''Snaps'')
* [[TheRival This Bitch]]: Nina
%% * RomanceInducingSmudge: Nina does this to Fred in front of J simply to make her miserable.
%% * RomanticFalseLead: White Jay started out as this. Has become a more developed character since then.
* RunningGag:
** J writes raps to channel her anger and passion.
** "Bitches be [''trippin'/lyin'/nosy'']."
** Patty getting fired
** Everyone pronouncing Jesus' name "jee-zus" instead of "hay-soos."
* SassyBlackWoman: Passive-aggressive J is a deliberate aversion of this trope.
* SensitivityTraining: Amir is sent to sensitivity training for his frequent racist remarks, J goes to anger management after snapping over a stapler (which is where she meets White Jay) and the office has a mandatory sexual harassment seminar.
* SeriousBusiness: Sorority life.
--> '''Nina''': You think this is a game? You think being a Gamma Ray is ''fun''?
* ShipperOnDeck:
** [=CeCe=] encourages J to bring her relationship with Fred further.
** Also ...
--> '''Leslie''': (''whispering'') Kiss her.
* ShockValueRelationship: It's implied that [[spoiler: partially the reason Nina is dating Fred is because she knows how much J likes him]].
* ShoutOut:
** Music/NickiMinaj
** The [=GutBusters=] logo and name is just a variant of Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'.
** ''Literature/TheColorPurple'' in "The Icebreaker"
** In "The Dance," Nina goes, "Damn, girl, I didn't know [[Film/LoveAndBasketball FUBU made dresses]]."
** ''Film/ShesAllThat'' in "The Date"
** ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' in "The Date." The man's spoken word performance was almost verbatim Will's monologue from the episode his father came back.
** ''Film/SisterAct'' in "The Project"
** "Might as well call me 'Nelly Kelly' cuz [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilemma_%28song%29 I got a dilemma]]."
** Brandy and Monica's duet ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Is_Mine The Boy Is Mine]]'' in "The Happy Hour"
** "Who are these [[Creator/CirqueDuSoleil Step du Soleil]] bitches?"
** "Am I really [[Music/TrappedInTheCloset trapped in the office]]? When did my life become an elongated Music/RKelly music video?"
** "Girl, you better [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erykah_Badu call Tyrone]]!"
** "This isn't [[Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman Diary of a Sad Angry Single Black Woman]]."
** On who he was talking to on the phone, D says, "I didn't say 'Mama.' I said 'Drama.' [[Series/{{Entourage}} Johnny Drama]]."
** Fred's guitar skills in "The Project" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBPVP4uWBvE are a shout out]] to ''Film/TheBestMan''.
** When J wants to hide at the sex store, she dresses as Waldo from ''Literature/WheresWaldo''
** "When did [=GutBusters=] turn into [[Series/TheYoungAndTheRestless The Young and the Ratchet]]?"
* SickeninglySweethearts:
** Nina purposely flaunts her relationship with Fred around the office simply because she knows it bothers J.
*** Becoming somewhat subverted as Fred had begun to [[CharacterDevelopment grow a backbone]] against Nina's advances.
** Cece and her new boyfriend are also this.
* SillyLoveSongs: "The perfect date is always set to a 90s love song." (''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_Me Kiss Me]] starts to play.'')
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: J in the first episode. [[spoiler:She finds one in White Jay come episode 6.]]
* SpecialGuest: Creator/DonaldGlover appears in Episode 12, as a ContinuityNod to J and White Jay's first date when she thinks the spoken word poetry they are going to see has Donald Glover in it.
* SpicyLatina: Cece lays this on thick when talking to black guys because she thinks it entices them. Shown to just creep guys out.
* SplitScreenPhoneCall
* StalkingIsLove:
** J toward Fred in the beginning of episode 3
** Also, A towards {{Music/Rihanna}}
* TakeThat:
--> '''[=CeCe=]''': Don't worry; it'll end much quicker than [[Creator/KimKardashian Kim K's]] marriage. So like, less than 10 minutes.\\
\\
\\
'''[=CeCe=]''': Nina is like the British royal family--a total spectacle without any real power.
* ThemeNaming: Every episode is named "The [NOUN]"
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Jesus takes over by saying, "I plan to take the [=GutBusters=] team in a new direction."
* UnfortunateImplications: In-universe, most of what J's boss, Amir and sometimes Nina say.
* TheUnintelligible: Darius, affectionately nicknamed "Baby Voice"[=/=]"DJ Whispers" by J. Neither J nor the audience can understand what he is saying, due to his incredibly soft voice.
* UnreliableNarrator: The series is narrated by J, who tends to overemphasize certain characteristics of the people she meets.
* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: [[spoiler: After J spent 6 episodes pining after him, Fred looks deeply confused and hurt when he sees J and White Jay AlmostKiss in front of a theatre.]]
* UnusualDysphemism: "I just Starbucked the shit out of Nina's ego."
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done Daughter Gal]]: J can never live up to her mother's expectations to "be somebody."
* WesternZodiac: J thinks that every question someone else's friends ask her would be so judgmental. When she {{Imagine Spot}}s meeting White Jay's friends, one of them constantly asks her what's her zodiac sign.
* [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim What Does He See in Her?]]: Said verbatim by [=CeCe=] after Fred and Nina kiss.
* WorkingWithTheEx: J works with her former one-night stand, A, who cannot, and will not, take the hint that J is no longer interested.
* YouAreWorthHell: J was about to quit her job until Fred walked in.
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