Review: Phoebe Robinson's 'Everything's Trash' Reminds Us It's Ok Not To Be So Hard On Ourselves
When actor, writer, producer, and comic Phoebe Robinson published her book Everything's Trash, But It's Okay in 2018, she could not have predicted exactly how messy the world would become a few short years later. In the years since we've had protests, a global pandemic, a near coup, and a gallon of gas costing about the same as the cost of your favorite cocktail, it's probably easier to point out what isn't a hot mess at this point than what is.
Lucky for us, though, Robinson's TV adaptation of her book, Everything's Trash, airing on Freeform beginning July 13, helps ease some of the frustration of living in a dumpster fire of a world with a hilarious and heartfelt look at a girl who's trying to get it together—even if she's a bit messy herself.
"I really want this to be a joyful show—a show that really makes people laugh and allows people to feel like, 'Okay, I don't have to be so hard on myself,'" Robinson says.
In the series, Robinson plays a fictionalized version of herself: a 30-something podcaster named Phoebe Hill, who lives in Brooklyn, hooks up with dudes she probably shouldn't and can't seem to get the whole 'paying bills on time' thing down. Sweet, silly, and struggling to get "adulting" down pat, Phoebe is a stark contrast to her older brother Jayden (played by Jordan Carlos), who's married to a perfect bougie princess and is running for political office.
In the first episode, Phoebe's penchant for carefree sex backfires spectacularly, having an embarrassingly negative impact on her brother's campaign. Yet as she does throughout the upcoming season, Phoebe finds a creative solution to repair the damage she's done, proving that at the end of the day, she's as intelligent and capable. "I want the show to highlight that Phoebe Hill loves herself, despite whatever flaws she has," Robinson says.
One of the prominent themes in Everything's Trash is the notion that it's okay for a Black girl not quite to have it all together. It's a still-revolutionary idea, albeit one that's starting to creep more into the mainstream through shows like Everything's Trash, Harlem, Abbott Elementary, and the late great Insecure. A counter to tropes like 'strong Black woman,' which represent Black women as almost superhuman, the depiction of Black women goofing off and making mistakes is liberating in many ways.
"Black women are expected to save the day," Robinson says. "We have to look a certain way; we gotta be strong….For me, I love doing a character that is happily messy, who is sex-positive, who is trying to figure things out, who is a great sister and a great friend, but also can not have her sh-t together in a way that's frustrating to other people."
One episode in the first season is even entitled "Black Excellence is Trash" and shows Phoebe accidentally causing havoc as she tries to live up to an impossibly high standard she's put on herself after being asked to appear in a magazine. While exaggerated, the episode mirrors how many Black people, women especially, can put undue pressure on themselves to look like the put-together influencers of Instagram, the uber-successful Black business leaders on TV, or even satisfy the expectations of high achieving parents. As Phoebe falls on her face (and rebounds), she gives people watching license to relax and remember to enjoy life on their terms.
"I think allowing Black female characters to be flawed and make mistakes and say we are still worthy of being loved, we're still worthy of being protected in spite of the foibles we do, I think is very important," Robinson says. "Once you see Black women as full of amazing qualities and head-shaking qualities, there's no way you can deny our humanity."
Everything's Trash premieres on Freeform on July 13; episodes air weekly on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. eastern, then appear on Hulu the next day.
