00:00I never really fully understood what I was doing when I was doing it at that age because I was
00:04going through my own things that have now created triggers. So now when people bring it up or body
00:12image is so, is much more acceptable of all the types. I'm like, dang, y'all got a good nowadays.
00:23How does it feel to know that, you know, it's going to be such a full circle moment
00:27for Raven to come back home to where it all began for, you know, a lot of us young black girls when
00:33we were first introduced to Raven. It's, um, I'm jealous. Listen, I don't get that. The things
00:39that I watched, they came back and I was like, okay, but I'm, I'm flattered. I'm humbled. I'm
00:47excited. I'm at the edge of my seat to see what people are going to say. If it does it justice,
00:54if you guys like us, um, it feels good to be able to reprise a role that I enjoy doing so much
01:02that has helped others feel comfortable in their skin. Um, so it's, there's a lot of emotions going
01:09on. And how would you say in your opinion, Raven Baxter has evolved into, into an adult and how
01:17would you say that she has stayed true to herself throughout the, throughout the years that we've
01:22known her? It's funny you asked that question. Cause I had no clue. And then Isaac told me,
01:25I was like, Oh my God, that's the best answer. I'm stealing it for myself. So I'm gonna tell you
01:28what Isaac would say. Um, Isaac plays my son on the show. He goes, Raven Baxter is the same Raven
01:33Baxter. She will do everything for her best friends. She will do everything for her kids.
01:38But as she's growing up, she's learning how to allow other people to handle situations. She's a
01:44little bit more calm. She's not that much of a helicopter parent. And I think that happens in normal
01:49progression of human beings, you know? Uh, but then there's also the other one where you just
01:53get so old and you don't really care what you say out your mouth. So she hasn't, she's not there yet,
01:57but she is just calming down, finding herself, letting others handle the situation. And when
02:02necessary, she's ready to go. You know what I mean? Like she's not, she still has the wigs and the fat
02:07suit in the closet just in case a disguise is needed, but she's not going to go there immediately.
02:13And I think that's important, you know, playing Raven Baxter as a mother to me was funny because when I'm
02:19not a mother, I'm 36, but I have like a 16, 17 year old guy that's playing my son, I'm like,
02:26I don't know what's happening. I play someone that I'm like, that would be a fun mom. Like imagine
02:31if Raven Baxter was your actual mother, like you're going to be in line, but you're also going to know
02:36that it's just, she's going to, she's going to have your back if something goes down and that's all
02:40we can hope for. And if Raven Simone and Raven Baxter could have a conversation face-to-face,
02:48what advice do you think you two would give each other?
02:53Raven Baxter would tell me to get out of the house
02:55and I would tell Raven Baxter to sit down.
03:00It's cool over here in the cut. Nobody has to know what you're doing, Raven. Sit down.
03:06And Raven Baxter would be like, go smell the roses. Like there's more to the world than just your couch
03:10and your television. I'd be like, no, there's not. So.
03:14And when it comes to, you know, like I was saying earlier, when I first got on here,
03:19Raven Baxter for me was my representation. And now, you know, seeing where we are years later,
03:24and I'm 26 and I see like everything that my niece and my nephews get to get, you know,
03:29TV has come such a long way, but obviously we still have such a long way to go. How would you,
03:34how proud would you say that you are of the cultural impact that the show has had years
03:40later and still carries on to like, you know, the 10 year olds, the 11 year olds, to me,
03:45the 26 year olds and the 30 year olds and the 40 year olds who used to watch it with their kids like me.
03:49I, surprising. And it's, it's, I don't have the words because I'm in it every day.
03:58Uh, but when I go online and I look up something about body image and then the image of Raven
04:04Baxter in the green dress pops up and people say she was fighting for a thick girls back then.
04:10And what happens is to me actually, is that I remember what I personally was going through
04:17at that moment. And I was so disconnected. I was in my own turmoil of weight and battles and fighting
04:23all of the negativity of that time period that I never really fully understood what I was doing
04:29when I was doing it at that age, because I was going through my own things that have now created
04:33triggers. So now when people bring it up or body image is so, is much more acceptable
04:43of all the types. I'm like, dang, y'all got a good nowadays. Y'all got it so much better.
04:50You guys can, you know, embrace your body without judgment of anything. I mean, everybody has judgment
04:57of some kind, but ultimately it's nothing compared to what we went through back in the day.
05:02And I'm happy that I get to be a part of that journey for a new young woman or a new young man,
05:08because they have it too. And we can't dismiss that. So I'm happy and humbled and proud and super
05:14jealous at the same time.
Comments