On this cultural critique, contributor Bliss explores how “The Residence”, Shonda Rhimes’ newest Netflix collection, makes use of the character of Cordelia Cupp—performed by Uzo Aduba—to ship a robust, plus measurement TV fashion-forward portrayal of protest, presence, and quiet resistance.
Removed from only a political drama, the collection turns into a layered reflection of real-world programs, coded language, and the smooth energy of Black womanhood. By way of Cordelia’s birding pastime, daring wardrobe, and unwavering stillness, the present illustrates how Black artists—from screenwriters to performers—use their abilities as refined acts of defiance. Let’s unpack the brilliance of plus-size illustration, intentional styling, and the deeper symbolism behind each gesture, sew, and silence.
Just lately, Netflix premiered Shonda Rhimes’ new collection The Residence, and let’s simply say–she’s finished it once more. Sharp. Trendy. Suspenseful. That is Shonda in her protest period, and he or she’s utilizing scriptwriting as technique.
On the middle of all of it is Uzo Aduba, who performs homicide investigator, Cordelia Cupp, at a mysterious White Home state dinner. Cupp is a girl who watches greater than she speaks, who research individuals the best way she research birds–meticulously, with out urgency, however with a type of quiet certainty that unnerves everybody round her. Her character is cool and barely offbeat, with a love for birding that others dismiss as odd. However that’s the purpose. Birding is the place Cordelia attracts her energy. It’s how she sees what others miss. The girl doesn’t chase chaos–she merely pays consideration to it.
What makes The Residence so outstanding isn’t simply the thriller or the politics. It’s the best way it mirrors real-world programs whereas by no means saying them out loud. The present doesn’t preach. It doesn’t scream. It whispers simply loud sufficient for individuals who are listening. This isn’t only a present a couple of crime. It’s a present about coded language, double consciousness, and the smooth energy of protest. It’s about what it means to analyze a lie whereas surviving the reality.
Cordelia Cupp is a Black girl with authority. A plus measurement girl in luxurious cloth. A quiet pressure in a sea of self-importance. Her wardrobe — wealthy, structured, grounded — isn’t simply costume design, it’s commentary. The coats aren’t smooth. They’re armor. The colours aren’t loud. They’re deliberate. She doesn’t ask for house. She wears it.
Cordelia Cupp Revolutionizes Plus Measurement TV Style
Each trench coat is tailor-made with function. Each pop of colour is a calculated threat. And when she pulls out her binoculars–sure, binoculars–it’s not for impact. It’s who she is: observant, centered, unbothered by what individuals consider her strategies.
Cordelia’s wardrobe is constructed like a fortress: clear strains, structured shoulders, full-length silhouettes that demand presence.
This isn’t minimalism. It’s a message.
She’s a plus measurement Black girl strolling the halls of energy–and her vogue speaks lengthy earlier than she ever opens her mouth. In a room stuffed with fragile egos and fading affect, Cordelia’s look is daring, unflinching, and inconceivable to disregard.
For thus lengthy, plus-size TV vogue has been handled like an afterthought in tv. However right here, Cordelia’s wardrobe is central to the storytelling. It amplifies her character’s sharpness, her emotional depth, her refusal to be minimized.
This can be a protest in an influence swimsuit. This can be a masterclass in dressing for defiance.
And that’s the great thing about this function. Uzo Aduba, a plus measurement Black girl, shouldn’t be the sidekick or comedic aid. She’s the lead. She’s the thoughts. She’s the eyes. Her physique shouldn’t be a press release — it’s a truth. A lady present absolutely, taking on house with class and authority.
In one other time, somebody may need instructed her to smile extra. To melt her voice. To put on one thing “extra flattering.” However right here, on this world Shonda has constructed, Cordelia Cupp shouldn’t be requested to be likable. She is requested to be glorious — and he or she delivers.
Nonetheless, this story doesn’t depend on tropes or tidy resolutions. It leans into the stress. And that’s what makes it revolutionary. Uzo Aduba’s presence on display isn’t nearly illustration–it’s about reclamation. She’s not right here to be palatable. She’s right here to do the work. To unravel the crime. To stroll by means of the halls of privilege and energy and never apologize for a way a lot house she takes up whereas doing it.
And that’s what makes this collection greater than a binge-worthy drama. It’s a reminder that artwork has at all times been a refuge for Black individuals when the world tries to silence them. When politicians fumble and justice appears like a transferring goal, Black artists choose up the slack. They protest in lyrics, in lighting, in casting, in costume. They create work that claims what the headlines gained’t.
Shonda Rhimes is doing it with scripts. Uzo Aduba is doing it with presence.
In an period the place fact is drowned out by spin, the true ones are talking in code. And when you’re not listening intently, you’ll miss it. However Cordelia wouldn’t. She’d already know. She’d already be watching.
As a result of that’s what visionaries do. They see it earlier than the remainder of us ever search for!
What did you consider Shonda Rhimes’ The Residence? Tell us within the feedback!
