I'm not one for watching series on television because I simply don't have the time to sit down once a week to watch an episode. However, the show "This Is Us" was really appealing to me, so I sat down the first week and decided to watch it. I have now cleared out an hour every Tuesday night so I can watch it. I have been amazed with the amount of controversial topics that have been covered on this show so far.
From the first episode, I noticed that the writers were really focusing on how one who does not always, or rarely does represent the societal "norm" of beauty. One of the main characters, Kate, struggles with being overweight, and this is not something that we typically see in popular television shows. We are frequently exposed to what people portray as "beautiful." I think that Kate is beautiful, and I can relate to some of her struggles. She is frequently shown struggling with eating decisions as well as some of her internal struggles. As someone who has always struggled with her weight, it's inspiring to see a popular character get to express herself as someone who is more than just what her weight is.
I was also so glad to see racial inequities being discussed. As a white woman, I will never understand the struggles of a person of color, but I am a strong advocate of racial equality, and I'm glad that a primetime show is highlighting this issue. Randall, one of the main characters, was adopted into a white family and throughout the episodes, we see the struggles he faces that neither one of his siblings faced. He was always watched a little more by his parents and in the community. What really struck home for me was in one of the episodes he discusses on even at the store he is watched a little more, he was looked at carefully, and that even if he grew up in a white family, because of the color of his skin, he will always feel the racial inequalities. The creators of this show hit it on the nose with addressing racial inequalities because it's a real problem that our society is facing.
Then there is the third sibling, Kevin. We don't know a lot about him yet, but I feel like his struggles are very relatable for a college student. He has a lot of passion for acting, and he is frequently seen auditioning or being casted in various different TV shows. However, he can't quite find the role he wants to play; very typical of college students and trying to figure out what we want to do in our lives.
Even though I am not a huge primetime television show watcher, I strongly suggest watching "This Is Us" because of the many important, relatable, and prevalent issues that are discussed. We are just finally getting to know the characters and some of the deeper down issues, so it's not too late to get caught up online and catch the next episode!
