Welcome back to another edition of “Bring the old Disney back” to kick off this series of course I had to start with the iconic series “That’s So Raven” starring Raven Symone, Orlando Brown, and Anneliese van der Pol. That’s So Raven was one of Disney’s most successful series with four seasons, one hundred episodes, and even a spin-off show called “Corey in the house”
This show broke records (and was the highest-rated show on Disney before Hannah Montana), won awards, had tie-in junior novels, and even spawned several handheld video games. Disney was also praised for its diversification and inclusion of a show centered on a Black family which was a rare occurrence in Disney’s early 2000s content. That’s So Raven won a lot of awards and was honored with some notable nominations like the Outstanding Children’s Program by the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005 and 2007. It was also nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series by the BET Comedy Awards in 2004 and 2005.
The series followed a life of a teenage girl (Raven Symone) who periodically receives psychic visions. After receiving these visions, she tries her best to make them come true, however oftentimes the results are in trouble, and comical situations for Raven and her friends Chelsie and Eddie.
Even though many of us only watched this show for the laughs and the ridiculous skits, looking back I realized that this show taught me some very important life lessons. That’s So Raven taught kids the importance of familial bonds, friendships, and hardships. But the most important lesson I learned is that it is okay to be yourself. Raven’s character was always discovering herself, the things she liked didn’t like but, in those moments, she never forgot who she was or what she stood for.
One of my favorite episodes of that’s so raven would be in season 2 episode 11. This episode was really special because it tackled the problem of beauty culture with regards to modeling. From a young age, the raven has always dreamt of being a fashion designer, so when she finally received the opportunity to be a model, she was so thrilled. However, to her surprise, she discovered that her pictures for the magazine had been digitally altered to make her body look much thinner. Raven then has confronted the agency head, who believes there’s only one way a model can look. This episode was one for the books because it taught me from a young age the importance of self-love and to always stand up for what you believe in. Raven wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and the same should be said about me.