The novel opens with Alix’s harried phone call to Emira asking her to babysit Briar. She calls despite knowing that at 11pm on a Saturday night, twenty-five-year-old Emira is likely to be reluctant to work. Alix utilises their economic disparity as leverage by promising to pay her double and cover the taxi fares.
“It was almost astonishing that Emira’s daily babysitting job […] could interrupt her current nighttime state […] But here was Mrs Chamberlain at 10:51p.m., waiting for Emira to say yes”. (3)
The transitive verb of “waiting” coupled with the incentive of increased pay, highlights Mrs Chamberlain’s expectation – knowing that Emira needs the money, she utilises her privilege to her advantage. Later, the reader discovers the reason for the call is that an egg has been thrown at the window in reaction to Mr Chamberlain’s clumsy speech (32). This domestic “emergency” seems trivial and ironic considering the racist altercation that subsequently occurs at Market Depot.
The Standard. Zainab Shafqat Adil The Standard | ‘Such a fun age’ examines subconscious racism (asl.org)
The novel opens with the shocking racial confrontation and accusations of kidnap at Market Depot but, as Berlant writes in Cruel Optimism, “the extraordinary always turns out to be an amplification of something in the works.” (10). This immediately sets a precedent that will occur repeatedly – the white, entitled employer expecting Emira to adapt to her changing whims; from working additional days so Alix can visit her friends in New York (141) or buying a last-minute replacement fish (117). All in a day’s work or taking advantage of her employee?
“And of course you sent Emira to a super-white grocery store, at midnight, and expected everything to be okay.” (228)
The line “And of course” spoken by Kelley sums up the characterisation of Alix. She is “well-heeled, arguably well-intentioned, yet entitled, and ignorant about realities outside her own world.” (Haider). Alix exudes privilege and white feminism; seemingly oblivious to possible outcomes of her actions (Haider). Reid displays this by presenting; on consecutive pages, the racist altercation at Market Depot and Alix’s effortless career progression:
“Alix asked nicely for the things she wanted, and it became a rare occurrence when she didn’t receive them”. (20)
Despite her ability to pay for products, Alix with her marketing degree, expensive stationery and “editorial” image expects (and freely) receives attention and products. Conversely, Emira (predominantly beyond her control) fluctuates between being invisible or hyper-visible.
The novel centres on discussions of perception and constructed selves (Crawford); how we view ourselves, how we want others to perceive us, and the ways in which we present ourselves accordingly. Throughout the novel, Emira’s true personality conflicts with the racially-charged profile that Alix has created around her. This is evidenced by Alix’s surprise at Emira’s advanced vocabulary which to her seems incongruous with Emira’s usual slang and music tastes (79). Alix has created a one-dimensional depiction of how she feels Emira should act. However, even more unsettling is Reid’s exposure of the way the characters relate to themselves (Crawford). This is evident through Alix’s desire to prove herself even in her own subconscious.
“(O)ne of Alix’s closest friends was also black. That Alix’s new and favourite shoes were from Payless, and only cost eighteen dollars. That Alix had read everything that Toni Morrison had ever written.” (139)
The accumulative list coupled with Alix pretending to eat leftovers and “accidentally” having spare food, raises questions of performativity. Her fascination with Emira is one of narcissistic projection – she wants Emira to see the most progressive and (she believes truest) version of herself (Hayes). However, Alix is playing a part, one that she can step away from at any time and continue living her affluent and privileged lifestyle. Alix’s fixation on herself blinds her to seeing Emira as an individual (Hayes). Instead, she only ever views her through the black-oriented lens that she has created.
Slate. Laura Miller. https://slate.com/culture/2020/01/such-a-fun-age-book-review.html
The title “Such a Fun Age” is notable and has three possible meanings (Masad). It could refer to Briar’s toddler years or to Emira as she struggles with the joys and challenges of being on the cusp of independent adulthood (ibid). However, this “fun age” could also be our own contemporary era (ibid). Masad writes that we live in an age which requires “certain people- often those already more vulnerable to exist in specifically politically correct ways while letting others- usually, those with power and privilege- off the hook” (ibid). This is captured poignantly when Kelley tries to convince Emira to release the Market Depot video to shame Alix. Emira refuses, stating, “her life wouldn’t change at all. Mine would.” (193). Emira is aware that Alix’s social status and economic position means that society will never truly vilify her nor the security guard. Instead, despite Emira being there on Alix’s instruction, Emira would be judged as being dressed ‘inappropriately’ or being ‘confrontational’.
Similarly, the ending highlights the legacy of privilege. When Emira unexpectedly observes the family on the street, she does so from a detached distance that was not feasible while working for them (304). She recognises that nothing about Alix has changed – she continues to favour her youngest daughter and exudes entitlement (305). Many years later, Emira still struggles with the impact this privileged upbringing will have on Briar: “if Briar ever struggled to find herself, she’d probably just hire someone to do it for her” (305). Emira concludes; with a hint of bitterness, that life will inevitably come easier to Briar with her inherited privilege and social standing.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Berlant, Lauren. Cruel Optimism (Duke University Press, 2011). Canvas.
Reid, Kiley. Such a Fun Age (Bloomsbury, 2019).
Secondary Sources
Crawford, Maria. “Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid – a dazzingly clear-eyed debut”. Financial Times. 10 January 2020. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023.
Haider, Arwa. “Such a Fun Age- the hit novel that skewers white privilege”. BBC Culture. 13 February 2020. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023.
Hayes, Stephanie. “Such a Fun Age Satirizes the White Pursuit of Wokeness”. The Atlantic. 8 January 2020. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023.
Masad, Ilana. “Such a Fun Age Is a Complex, Layered Page-Turner”. NPR. 28 December 2019. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023.
You do a fine job of getting us to think about the complex relationship between privilege and precariousness in Reid’s novel and how claims about ’empowerment’ are subtly overwritten by narratives of exploitation. I liked the quote from Berlant and wondered whether this framework – and Berlant’s claims about ‘cruel optimism’ – could be extended to think about the privilege/precarity dynamic that you identify as central to this novel. Berlant’s framework relates first and foremost to those stuck in an economic and/or social sense and yet aspiring to the ‘good life’ – and where these aspirations are themselves responsible for trapping subjects in new forms of destitution. Is this what plays out in Such a Fun Age or not, I wonder? Could we use the novel to push a little at Berlant’s work and to think about the racial dynamics of ‘cruel optimism? We might also think about the limits of particular frames of empowerment, given that it is Alix’s ‘girl boss’ feminism that ends up trapping Emira in precarious work. In this scenario, I wonder what Reid is saying about intersectional politics and the forms that resistance(s) can take across lines of race, ethnicity, class and gender?
Yes, Alix’s “girl boss” feminist image is a very interesting one. Despite the freedom it champions, it can actually be trapping. Alix’s commitment to upholding her affluent image, particularly in still pretending to live in New York online shows that she views herself in line with an image of white privilege. She views Emira as “evidence” of her own “progressive outlook”. Through doing so, she fails to see Emira as a person. The uniform is also another way for Alix to maintain a “superior” position over Emira. Alix’s decision to release the video of the incident at Market Depot behind Emira’s back shows that she does not respect Emira as a person. Alix only views Emira from a perspective of how Emira can best “serve” her interests.
One of the main questions that remained in my mind whilst reading ‘Such a Fun Age’ was: Where are our sympathies supposed to lie? Obviously, most of us remain sympathetic to Emira throughout the text, yet I constantly wondered whether we were supposed to sympathise with Alix, Kelley, or neither? At times, I sympathised with Alix, as she was portrayed as an incredibly mentally unstable character. Yet, this is where your analysis of the text has become particularly valuable, as my strong dislike for both Alix and Kelley has been cemented. You have shown each to be incredibly shallow, unsympathetic, and juvenile (and in turn have shown two-year-old Briar to often be wiser than both). You have shown each of their privileges (particularly Alix’s) to shine through, and your concluding remark, while disheartening, remains true, with Briar being likely to turn out like her insufferable mother. Your reading highlights Emira’s total lack of autonomy throughout the majority of the piece, with her being used as a pawn by both Alix and Kelley, and fetishized within each of their minds. While ‘Such a Fun Age’ was not my favourite text studied on the module, your reading has shown it to be a highly contemporaneously relevant text in myriad ways, and has given but a brief glimpse into the frustrated mind of the contemporary African-American female.
Amy, I found your exploration of privilege and precarity incredibly thoughtful. Ostensibly, when reading your post, race and white privileged came to mind. Concordantly, raising question surrounding the audience of the text: who is the text written for? Largely, the text is tailored towards a white audience. There’s a suggestion that Reid’s focus on microaggression is a bid to make implicit actions of racism, more explicit; she is arguably attempting to plant a seed of consideration within the white audience’s mind. Albeit, the text is a satire of white liberals, as such making its audience a little more challenging to pinpoint as the text is harking towards people that are already aware of the ignorance of white liberals. In turn, raising the question: does Reid’s text reach beyond that?
Yes, who the novel is intended for is a very interesting question. I think Reid’s point is that racism can exist in many forms; from horrific racial violence which has been seen on a large scale in recent years, particularly since the death of George Floyd. However, racism can also exist in a look or a comment. Reid is challenging her reader to think about their own thoughts and actions and how they may be perpetuating racism.
Although ‘Such a Fun Age’ is a short novel and it is not particularly long-winded, you do well to remind us that despite its brevity, the text is loaded with critiques of a seemingly ‘post-racial’ society and highlights the fluctuations of a person’s character in the world of social media. Your discussion of the title itself is quite useful in considering what exactly the book is about, and it led me to consider the digital age we find ourselves in and the age that the book centres itself around. There is significant fallout when the video of Emira and Briar leaks online in Emira’s life but also in the development of the text and its characters on a more meta scale. It highlights the power and absolute privilege of Alix’s character to be able to manipulate certain events like the video and her dissemination of it in order to come across as Emira’s hero. The text serves of a reminder of how people can portray themselves in a very specific light and show only their best side and hide the darker aspects of themselves, show themselves off as a good citizen rather than a ‘white saviour’.
Yes, the topic of media is very interesting. Alix is very fixated on her outward image and how people perceive her. This is evidenced through her Let Her Speak company and also her Instagram account. Alix does not want people to know that she is no longer living in New York because that city fits in with the affluent image of herself that she wants to maintain. Notably, Emira is not on social media at all. Emira lives the most in the real world, she is not trying to promote a falsified image of herself but rather just maintain her relationships in the real world and have enough money to live on. Emira is also the only character that ends the novel changed. She finally takes action against Alix’s exploitation of her and finds employment elsewhere. Both Kelley and Alix end the novel, convinced of their own “progression” by their connections to Emira. However, neither seem to understand the ways that they constantly take advantage of her or use her to improve their own perception of herself. They reduce her identity down to the colour of her skin and are proud of how progressive that makes them appear. Their relationships with Emira are fuelled by self-interest. Even when Emira sees Alix and Briar on the street years later, she knows that Alix has not changed and that Briar will inevitably have an easier life due to her white privilege.
Your blog emphasises the emotional labour that defines Emira’s job as a babysitter extremely well. The question of visibility and economies are intertwined, especially when we think about Alix’s business LetHer Speak and the way that she participates in performative forms of activism. Like you pointed out, these performative instances of popular feminism, and anti-racism, are a way to escape uncomfortable feelings like guilt and blame. You explained Alix’s self-serving gaze very well, and demonstrated how white feelings about race perpetuate dominant structures that are based on racist prejudices. The transactional transformations that Alix thrives on with her personal brand do not change anything systemically, and that seems to be the problem that Reid tries to indicate.
I really enjoy the focus you’ve made on this opening scene within Reid’s novel – although it has been weeks since we’ve covered it now, it’s a scene which feels incredibly realistic, as if this was just a video we had seen trending on social media. I also really like that Berlant quote – “the extraordinary always turns out to be an amplification of something in the works.” – a lot of this novel’s narrative hinges on this very idea that Berlant suggests. There’s a palpable sense of neoliberal exploitation within the novel, the progressive-but-not-really mentality of a “colourblind” mentality until it suits one’s self. It feels very real in a world where race is exploited and people abuse their privilege. I really like the ideas you have about Briar using this privilege within her own life, and it makes me rethink if this ending is at all optimistic? Is there a suggestion that this is a cycle destined to repeat, that Briar will be just like her mother?
The ending is left quite ambiguous. While we know details of Emira’s life years after she finishes working for Alix, a reader is not told much about Alix or Briar. However, this seems to be deliberate on Reid’s part. Even though years have passed when Emira sees Alix and Briar on the street, the dynamics remain unchanged. Alix continues to favour her younger daughter and still exudes privilege. Emira wryly notes that Briar is likely to learn this same privilege from her mother and the cycle will continue. Reid compels a reader to think about what racial and social progress really looks like and challenges them to see that it begins internally from the changing of perspectives and the shedding of prejudices.
Hi Amy! I really enjoyed reading your very focused and explorative blog post. The identity Alix has created of being a champion of female empowerment contradicts her internal truth, she is a rich white woman who uses her proximity to wealth and whiteness for her benefit. Alix’s fixation on being seen as progressive and as one of the good ones in Emira’s eyes is for her own catharsis. She sees Emira as a vessel to release her from the shackles of white guilt from her youth. Your point about ‘narcissistic projection’ was really thought-provoking.