Lena Waithe has responded to allegations that she stole the concept of her upcoming Dove show Girls Room from Nina Lee, another Black woman screenwriter.
The five-part series, which was developed as a part of Dove’s Self-Esteem Project for young women in partnership with ATTN:, revolves around Melba, Minnie, Thelma, Gloria, and Carlotta, a group of five high school girls who meet in a club restroom and go on to tackle issues such as image, self-esteem and social media.
Get to know Melba, Minnie, Thelma, Gloria, and Carlotta in Girls Room, a new show created by @LenaWaithe about a group of high school friends dealing with bullies, social media, body insecurities, and so much more. pic.twitter.com/sbzjHVeIKi
— ATTN: (@attn) February 21, 2020
Shortly after the teaser dropped, several people began to point out to actress and screenwriter Nina Lee that Girls Room had similarities to her Girls Room concept.
Even the way her show is colored is oddly similar, I have to laugh. Ours was fun as hell though cuz it was about the great drunk girls you meet the girls restroom. And it extended out to their lives and how tough and rewarding navigating through life in your 20s can be. pic.twitter.com/jW6WmTTjqf
— Nina Lee (@NinaSerafina) February 23, 2020
This show was definitely a learning experience, thanks to everyone involved and to those who still believes in me! pic.twitter.com/zMyGLEFcep
— Nina Lee (@NinaSerafina) February 23, 2020
Many on Twitter continued to chime in and speculate how Dove’s concept for Girls Room seems to mirrors Lee’s idea, such as the concept of the girls meeting in the restroom as a major setting in the series, the title card, the color scheme and the shot similarities.
In a lengthy statement posted on her Twitter page on Wednesday, Waithe told her side of the story and how her involvement with Girls Room came to be.
In the letter, Waithe revealed that she “partnered with Dove for their project Girls Room” in 2019 and that a Dove partner came up with the title on which her scripts were based in 2017.
#GirlsRoom pic.twitter.com/KYmOUH36Bc
— Lena Waithe (@LenaWaithe) February 26, 2020
“I was brought on to write the scripts and produce the content, ” Waithe said in the post. “I have never seen Nina Lee’s work nor would I steal another artist’s work.”
Waithe also stated she looks to Dove to provide answers regarding the situation.
Shortly after Waithe’s response, Lee issued her own response in a letter posted on her Twitter page.
❤️ https://t.co/u0dLU7M6Cn pic.twitter.com/2LwdqkunTn
— Nina Lee (@NinaSerafina) February 27, 2020
In the letter, Lee reveals that she spoke with Waithe and the Girls Room director, who informed her that “they would never steal, copy or mimic another Black woman’s work.”
Lee also pointed out how the work of Black artists is often stolen and appropriated without credit. “Black artists have historically struggled with having our work taken against our will and without our permission,” she said. “Therefore, I am not surprised to see what feels like a commodified version of my art being co-opted by a major corporation.”
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Photo: ATTN/Dove
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