u/Independent_Layer818

I feel so embarrassed right now because I made a mistake and posted this to another subreddit that had absolutely nothing to do with tv shows😂 Nonetheless, it really bugs me how all over the place the writers were with Lynn. They kept dropping bi/lesbian jokes, hints, and entire subplots, but whenever push came to shove, they backtracked completely. There was a super obvious pattern. For example, in real life Cee Cee Michaela who played as “Yvonne” left the show and stated on The 700 club that the script didn’t align with her personal values. Rumors were circulating in the fandom for years that the writers originally wanted her character to make a pass at Lynn or set up a polyamorous dynamic with William involved. Following, in season two when Lynn’s coworker Miyoshi hits on her at the sushi spot, Lynn shuts it down instantly and insists she’s strictly straight. Lastly, in season six we all remember the bizarre storyline where Lynn pretends to be in a relationship with Jennifer. They kept pairing her with an endless rotation of men, yet they kept running back to the "is Lynn gay?" whenever they needed quick comedy.
I wonder if the writers kept dipping into this trope simply because Lynn was branded as the resident “free spirit” who was supposedly “down with exploring.” It almost feels like Persia White and the writers were down to play into the jokes and fake scenarios as long as Lynn didn't actually end up in a genuine lesbian relationship because Persia herself maybe didn’t agree to go that far with an actual woman on screen. Which is okay because you cannot force sexuality onto anyone though it’s a character, and a show. Overall, I wonder why did the writers handle her sexuality this way? Was it early 2000s network TV cold feet, cheap queer-baiting, or actor boundaries behind the scenes?

Overtime in this subreddit I’ve seen people make comparisons about Maya and Lynn as if they’re the same type of "leech" to Joan, but they really aren't. If you look back at Season 3, Episode 14 ("Single Mama Drama"), the difference between them is massive. That’s the episode where Maya invites that lady and her son over, and the kid breaks Joan’s sculpture. Joan gets mad about her boundaries being crossed, which is fair. But look at how Maya handles it during the argument. She reminds Joan that when she first even started staying there, she told her she wanted to start paying some rent. Joan turns it down because they're friends, but honestly, Joan refusing the money goes to show how much she loved and got off on being the "mother" of the group. Joan needed to be the savior, so by rejecting the rent, she accidentally created a dynamic where it now looked like Maya was just okay with staying there for free, when Maya was the one trying to establish a boundary from the jump. During this fight, Maya brings it up again and explicitly says she’s moving out because she refuses to be a burden.

Compare that to Lynn, who never offered Joan a single dime and had to be practically forced and tricked into moving out. In Season 1, Joan and Toni were literally chanting back and forth, trying to pass Lynn off to each other because she was just couch-surfing indefinitely without a care in the world. Maya had too much pride for that; she wanted to pull her weight from day one, and she ultimately moved out on her own terms instead of waiting to be evicted. The reason their dynamics with Joan are so different comes down to how they grew up. Maya was a teen mom. Even with help from her mother and Darnell, she had to grow up fast, face reality, and learn independence early. She was used to working and handling real life responsibilities, so she didn't want to feel like a charity case even if Joan's codependency kind of pushed her into one. Lynn, on the other hand, was completely coddled and spoiled by her adoptive parents. She used higher education and collecting random degrees as a shield to avoid getting a real job or growing up. She stayed with Joan because she expected the world to keep enabling her the way her parents did. Maya actually understood adulthood and independence, whereas Lynn chose to stay a child. Calling them both leeches totally misses the nuance of their characters. However, I understand that we all have different perspectives.

A few days ago I posted on this subreddit with the last two photos above to ask what could I do to improve my makeup and give it some color and to look less dull. I was suggested to work on the eyebrows, try out some blush, and get a lip shade that actually has some color to it. I’m still learning how to do makeup, but is this any better or do I need to go back to toning it down as I’m not really a fan of the blush. I also still plan on getting my eyebrows micro-bladed by the way because that’s just a skill that I can’t seem to grasp.