12 Reasons We Love
Leslie Jones
H
er BOLD: Michele Aikens, Publisher
BOLD & SAV V Y Magazine is all
about courage. Our stories typically
feature women from different walks of life
who display courage in business, in getting
up after a great disappointment, or who are
surviving against great odds. Today’s feature
discussion is no different. We reached out
to Leslie Jones’ publicist a few times to try
to interview her without success. He said
she wasn’t doing media “right now.” It’s
understandable.
The star of the Ghostbusters remake was
victimized by vicious online attacks about
her appearance and talent to the point
where she took time away from Twitter.
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/
leslie-jones-twitter-troll-regrets-attacking-ghostbusters-actress/story?id=41808886.
Rather than glorify those who have spewn
(is that a word?) this ugliness, our edi torial
team decided to put our heads together and
discuss what we LOVE about Leslie Jones. I’ll
start with these two:
Leslie Jones is originally from Memphis,
TN. That means, depending on what parts
of Memphis she’s from, some of my relatives
may know her. This makes her a southern girl
who’s tough. A comedienne from Memphis is
going to have to be funny AND whoop your
tail if you come to her the wrong way.Leslie
Jones is not 25! According to her bio online
she is 49 – about to approach that magic age
called 50! There are a lot of people posing as
comedians, but At 49 Jones is KILLING IT! Her
comedic timing, facial expressions and flirting (commercial, “You want my number?”)
provoke real laughter from me every time
she’s on the screen. She’s the friend you want
to hang out with after a rough week.
H
er relevance: Tonia Hill, Managing
Editor
As a black woman with dark skin,
seeing black women who look like me is vital.
It is awe-inspiring to witness the hard work
and dedication women like Jones possess to
become successful in Hollywood. Here are a
few other reasons I love Leslie Jones.
She is pure black girl joy: At a time, when
it seems hard to be carefree seeing, Leslie
Jones be unapologetically herself and happy
is inspiring. We are rarely if ever allowed the
space to be that, happy. In some cases our
happiness is often stifled. Do you recall the
Napa Valley Wine train incident involving
11 black women, who were members a book
club members and who kicked off the train
for being “too loud?”
Her patriotism during the Rio Olympics
provided her the opportunity to see the
summer games in the flesh. As I watched
the Olympics on the screen the best part
of the games was to log onto Twitter and
scroll Leslie Jones’ Twitter feed for updates
and videos while she was there enjoying the
games. Her commentary during the Olympics
was far more entertaining at times than
national news outlets covering the games.
She is dedicated to her craft. Before she
landed her big break on Saturday Night Live,
Jones worked for over 25 years as a comic,
snagging roles here and there, but she had
yet to reach her peak. She kept pushing and
working until she made it. To still hold onto
that dream and still believe in it is inspiring.
12
NOVEMBER ☐ DECEMBER
In spite of all the hate and criticism she has
received in her personal and professional life
she still keeps going. In one of my favorite
scenes from Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Meredith
Grey (Ellen Pompeo), the protagonist is
seeking out advice from her counselor, Dr.
Katherine Wyatt (Amy Madigan) for healing.
In this scene, Meredith is questioning what it
takes to be happy:
“Meredith: The world is a horrible place.
Young people die of diseases. It makes absolutely no sense to try to be happy in a world
that’s such a horrible place.
Dr. Wyatt: [to Meredith] Yes.
Dr. Meredith Grey: What?
Dr. Wyatt: Yes, horrible things do happen.
Happiness in the face of all of that... that’s
not the goal. Feeling the horrible and knowing that you’re not gonna die from those feelings, that’s goal.”
Being happy in the face of the negativity
she has faced from critics to those on social
media shows just how strong Leslie Jones
is. Despite what has come her way she has
managed to find a way to be happy.
7. Her very existence is necessary for the
next generation of brown girls who will be
in the entertainment industry. Little girls
are watching and when the time comes to
venture out and follow their dreams to the
silver screen they will know it is possible
because black women like Leslie Jones paved
the way for them.