Boy Meets World's Angela: The Sad Story of the 90s Teen Icon

Boy Meets World's Angela Moore (Trina McGee) quickly became one of the most influential Black teen sitcom characters of the 1990s when she joined the cast in season 5 and became one half of the show's best power couple with on-again-off-again boyfriend Shawn Hunter. But as beloved as she was, she still ran into a number of problems both on screen and behind the scenes. So let’s take a deeper look at this groundbreaking character, her lasting legacy, and why so many fans still believe she deserved better.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Angela Moore, 90s teen icon
00:30 Shaking up Boy Meets World
02:02 Why Shawn & Angela worked so well
03:52 Angela's cultural impact
06:08 Behind the scenes mistreatment
07:49 Opening up about the struggles she faced
09:14 Recognizing her importance

CREDITS
Executive Producers: Debra Minoff & Susannah McCullough
Chief Creative Director: Susannah McCullough
Associate Producer: Jessica Babineaux
Writer: Cassondra Feltus
Narrator: Kayah Alexandra
Video Editor: Daniel Wolff

[hodonyassin]

Angela deserved so much better during her run. Her and Shawn’s relationship was probably the healthiest relationships on the show. Also, Shawn’s actor treated her with the upmost respect and kindness while the others snub her.

[anthonyjamesvasquez]

Absolutely loved how the show treated Shawn and Angela's relationship every bit as casually as all the other couples on the show. Their racial difference was never used as a source of either humor or tension and the troubles they faced were only the ones every couple faces at some point. That was REAL progress!

[pinklady]

It’s so interesting to me that the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s had such a myriad of wonderful representation for Black women and girls and until recently there was major regression. You had characters like Angela; bohemian, beautiful intelligent and carefree, Lisa Turtle, Ashley Banks, Laura Winslow, Moesha Mitchell etc. for the last couple of decades Black women onscreen are either invisible by erasure, cartoonishly stereotypical, or a prop/foil to all non poc characters. One of the reasons growing up in this era was unmatched. Black women and girls had the opportunity to be fully realized and fully fleshed out characters onscreen. We were depicted, in all our nuances as human.

[Vivalarosa]

The fact that Trina was 27 playing a 15 years old is a total trip out.

[jennifer.martin.]

I’m Latina, and grew up watching BMW. I loved how the show treated Shawn and Angela’s relationship. It didn’t center around them being an interracial couple, just two people that really loved each that happened to be from different racial backgrounds. My husband is white and our relationship isn’t based on how different our backgrounds are, just how we love each other and bring out the best in one another.

[greenrobot]

It's sad how the writers were so mean to Shawn, they killed of his dad, his favorite teacher disappeared, his mom ran away, and so did Angela.

[roycerowland]

I do wish that Angela and Shawn would had end up together on the spinoff and they could had adopted Riley's friend Maya. You would had never knew that Trina McGee was almost in her 30s playing Angela.

[christophergarrett]

They did her dirty by not having her in the final episode

[tikaglamorous]

Black woman here that grew up on this show I’m 30 now and I promise I was so obsessed with Angela’s and Shawn’s relationship like the passion and intimacy along with the intensity was so awesome to me. Of course I stan Corey and Topanga but Angela and Shawn were the STANDARD.

[thegazetteyt]

The actress who played Bonnie on The Vampire Diaries had a lot of the same treatment.
I hated how they didn't end up together. The notion that only Cory and Topanga get to have this long lasting love is stupid. There could have been different kinds of love on that show, but they were so single minded that they didn't even bother to do anything else.

[paulojrneto]

I was shocked to find out that Trina McGee is actually ten years older than Rider Strong and already in her 30's when the show ended. It's a tribute to Trina's talent and youthfulness that you could hardly tell any age gap between her and the rest of the cast.

[tiffanypersaud]

Trina as Angela with her natural hair, styled hair, with lines, and having her own brand of humour and personality is ever a statement. The character is an icon not only for BMW but for TV history, and Trina is a hero for many, including me.

I loved her vulnerability with her family when her father was introduced and I remember hearing the audience reaction when she finally told Shawn she loved him. If they could fly through the ceiling, they would. Same here.

That they ended is realistic, yes, but I hear many fans say that their relationship is the most realistic one on the show. There can only be one Cory and Topanga yes because there is only one Cory and one Topanga. But Shawn and Angela were different, and fans, many fans, wanted that too. They did work, and they pulled each other through things, and the way they respected one another, reconciled, and put one before the other is an example to many.

I like GMW and their characters too. But them writing Angela like that left a bitter taste in my mouth. Of course, Trina pulled it off nicely and you still see Shawn's care for her come through. "Put more of you in the world" was his answer when she asked him if she should have children, and yeh, I cried. But just for what their relationship could have been, but for what her continued character could have been in the show.

[goodjujuu]

5:26 I’m sorry, but my ideal experience as a black woman is to be treated like everyone else so this was refreshing to me. “My blackness” isn’t front and center in everyday human interaction, I don’t expect non black people to worry about “well, what does that mean/do/feel as a black woman” when it comes to life experiences EVERY PERSON goes through.

[LauryneAmanda]

Angela deserved better she was an icon. I’m thankful for Trina’s performance!

[TechnicolorZebra]

In watching this, I’m realizing that Angela has become an archetype for black women characters in mainstream shows. I remember almost the exact same storylines and tropes being used for Mercedes Jones in Glee, down to not allowing her character to have a healthy longterm relationship with her high school boyfriend because that “wasnt realistic” (but like everyone else was able to maintain a relationship with and even marry their high school sweethearts 🤔)

[LeahWalentosky]

5:23 in season 1 episode 8Eric dated an Asian girl named Lynda, she was presented as a Cheerleader and all American girl who brought Morgan a Chinese lantern. Her storyline was used to address race from a white perspective allowing the viewers who never experienced it get a small glimpse of their non white classmates have to face. Ashamed we never saw Lynda again nor was it addressed with Angela

[PrincessofPower]

The fact that Ben has never apologized to her, has never offered a public or private explanation, and has refused to acknowledge the situation is all you need to know about him.

[trinaq]

I felt sorry for Trina McGee behind the scenes as well. She had issues with Will Friedle, who called her "Aunt Jemima" in the makeup trailer, as well as Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage, being made to feel like a stranger after 60 episodes. However, she has since mended fences with Friedle and Fishel.

[thepineyapple]

Angela was always one of my favorite characters. I was so upset when they broke up.

[vestige]

Well, I didn’t appreciate, was that in Girl meets world they made her out to just be Shawn’s ex girlfriend when she was a part of their whole friend group, her and topanga were even roommates in college dorm, and and they’re own apartment together!