Black Women in Society

Maya Hunter, Adrianne Lyons, & Neuds Saint-Cyr

 Introduction

De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see. Zora Neale Hurston,
Their Eyes Were Watching God
 Topics to be Discussed
History

Attack outside the community (the media)

Attack Inside the community (the media)

The Media

The World
Roles of Slavery
Known as Sable Beauties and Ebony Queens

Sexual duties and childbearing

Slavemasters drawn to exotic charm

Confidence of black women

No morals

Increased sex drive

The Impact of Slavery on Hair
Methods used to strip slaves of identity
Jealousy of white women

Black Womens Hair Throughout History

Figure: 12 Years a Slave scene

Source: Davis, M. A. (2013, October 28). 12 Years A Slave:
Rage, Privilege, Black Women and White Women.
Slavery: The Stereotypes Begin
Black women seen as animal-like

Had same physical capabilities as males

White female servants were the opposite of this

White men attracted by this

Affairs between masters and slaves

White women jealous by this

Figure (?): Woman running alongside cheetah

Source: Goude, %. P. (2011, September 13). Oracles. Retrieved August 3, 2017,
from https://elsentitdelaparaula.wordpress.com/category/fahrenheit-451/
Evolution of Older stereotypes

Sapphire : The angry black woman

Fig. 2: Woman stressed about a common stereotype of black women
Jezebel: common black women who cant Source: (2016, July 5). Retrieved July 26, 2017, from
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/african-american-women-stereotypes
keep a man

Racially ambiguous

Black women shown in the media speaking

in ebonics. A sign of low education.

Black women shown on the news

 Marriage Statistics
This chart displays the percent of black men and women that are married, as opposed to the rest of Americans, according to the
U.S 2014 Census.

Figure 2. Marital Status (Davis, 2014).

Unmarried women, media
Figure X Scandal
(2015),
Source:http://www.Ihea
rthatgirl.com

Figure X Real
SideChicks
(Jamison, 2017)
Source:
http://www.ebony
.com
Fig. 2: Degrees conferred by race and sex

Source: Degrees Conferred by Race and Sex. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Center for Education Statistics: https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72
Counterattacks for Successful Black Women on TV
Educated & successful, actions dont support it

Never happy

Cant seem to have a husband of their own

Jezebel and Sapphire

These shows are very popular

Examples: Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder

How all of these stigmas towards black women
affect how the outside treat us

Little black girls are viewed as less innocent

Black women are not getting the same treatment as other women.

Ex: black women alarming maternity death rate, and harder for them to get
maternity leave. (could this possibly be a stigma from slavery)
 Black Girls are Less Innocent
Beginning at age 5, black girls are seen as less innocent than their white
peers

Black girls seem older than white girls of the same age

Black girls need less nurturing

Black girls are being hypersexualized

Same stereotypes as black women

Black women have historically and currently been seen as being aggressive, loud, defiant and
oversexualized.
Figure X. Schooling by Race (Finley, 2017) Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/young-black-girls-
less-innocent-study_us_59526e51e4b05c37bb7982d2
Negative views of black women from the outside
community
Black women aren't seen as
females, nor human. This can
be made evident throughout
history. Many like to think that
times have changed. But when
we view this video of how this
policeman treated this
unarmed, pregnant black
woman, we may want to
reconsider if the times have
changed.
 Michelle Obama
West Virginia mayor Pamela Taylor
Shift from Michelle Obama to Melania Trump
Im tired of seeing an ape in heels
Constant bashing about appearance
Figure 8: Michelle Obama compared to monkey
Source: American businesswoman calls Michelle Obama "monkey in
high heels". (2016, November 19). Retrieved August 1, 2017, from
http://getworldmedia.com/american-businesswoman-calls-michelle-
obama-monkey-high-heels/ (Originally photographed 2016, November
19)
 Figure 11: Michelle Obama compared to
monkey
Source: The Political Forums Website
Figure 9: First Lady then vs. now
Source: F169BBS Website

Figure 10: Facebook post

Source: Abrahamson, R. P. (2016, October 4). Teachers Aide Fired
After Calling Michelle Obama a Gorilla in Racist Facebook Rant.
Retrieved August 1, 2017, from
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/teachers-aide-
fired-after-calling-michelle-obama-a-gorilla-w443276
 Negative Views of Black Women
(Outside of Community)

Black women arent seen as human

Example

Charlena Michelle Cooks

Black, unarmed, pregnant woman

Wrongful treatment by police

Figure 5: Michelle Cooks on CNN
Source: Charlena Michelle Cooks[Photograph found in CNN]. (n.d.). In
C. (Comp.). Retrieved August 6, 2017, from
https://www.scoopnest.com/user/CNNTonight/604115923293753344
Attacks on Black Women Inside of the
Community
 The ideology which privileges Colorism
the light skin people in
American society over dark
skinned people

Darker skinned people have less

rights than lighter skinned
counterparts

Eurocentric Beauty Standards

Lil Kim

Pushed by own community

All my life men have told me
I wasnt pretty enougheven
the men I was datingGuys
always cheated on me with
Figure X. Lil Kim (Ellis, 2016)
Source:http://www.inquisitr.com/3049387/lil-kim-isnt-black-
anymore-rappers-bombshell-reason-for-bleaching-skin-leads-to-
overwhelming-backlash/
 Skin Bleaching
The use of dermatological, cosmetic, and homemade products to decrease
melanin in the skin.

Ads typically equate whiteness with racial superiority and youth

LOreal gained $14 million in revenue in 2001

Eurocentric Beauty Standards

Darker skinned girls often feel like they are not beautiful due to their darker skin

Also equates black to ignoranceFigure X. Dark Girls Feel

Unattractive, Sundance
Begins at a young age Now, 2015. Source:
YouTube
 Psychosocial Effects of Colorism
Women of different hues have distinctive experiences based on their skin tone, and that these experiences
influence how they felt about themselves and interact with others.

Qualitative Study Conducted to discover differences in self-esteem based on skin tone

Light skinned women feel more valued in social relationships than darker skinned women

Gendered Colorism

Black women struggle more than Black men within their livelihood

Skin Color & Attractiveness

Figure X. Gabourey
Sidibe, (Garvey, 2010)
Eurocentric features are rewarded in this society
Source:
http://www.eonline.com/n
Darker-skinned women are more likely to feel like they have nothing to offer society
ews/200867/elle-
magazine-on-gabourey-
and have lower self-esteem than their light-skinned counterparts
sidibe-s-cover-what-
controversy
 Black Hair
Ranges from Curly to Kinky

3A to 4C

Finer curl pattern is generally more accepted

Eurocentric beauty standards

Hairstyles

Relaxing

Straightening
Figure X. Hair Types
(Kenneth,2011)
Weaves Source:http://www.curlcentric.
com/hair-typing-system/
 Hair Continued
Gabby Douglas

Won 3 gold medals in 2012

Criticism from black community about hair

Viola Davis

You buy some

2012 Oscars
hair, and
youre considered fake.
Natural
You dont have any Hair
Figure X: Gabby
hair, and youre not Douglas, (Sprunk, 2016)
Backlash
cute. You cant win.-
from other celebrities
Source:
http://www.usmagazine.c
Mary J.Blige om/celebrity-
Natural hair is not formal
news/news/gabby-
douglas-may-get-to-
defend-all-around-title-at-
 Lemonade Album

Beyonces visual Lemonade

Main intent= empowering black
women
Unintentionally leaving out plus size
women

Fig. 1: Line of women in Beyonces Lemonade Album Video

Source: (2016, April 27). Retrieved July 26, 2017, from N.d. Wear
Your Voice. Web. 26 July 2017.
 Black women vs. Black men
Dating outside the
race

The black man shall

be loved no matter if
goes against the
culture or ideals.

Rap lyrics praise other

women and show
other women but when
black women decide to
branch out its a crime
Black women vs.Black men (continued)
Outside of America
Sarah baartman, south
african.

Displayed in circus
because of large body
parts.

When she died in 1815

her body parts were
preserved and put in
display in the paris
museum. Figure : Sarah Baartman
Source:Parkinson, J. (2016, January 7). The Significance of

Body finally put to rest in

Sarah Baartman. Retrieved from BBC
Outside of America Continued
According to WHO, upwards of 77 percent of
women in Nigeria bleach their skin
 Works Cited
Wakeman , J. (2012, March 04). Wendy Williams Says Viola Daviss Natural Hair Made Her Look Like A Man. Retrieved

August 07, 2017, from http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-02-29/wendy-williams-says-viola-daviss-natural-hair-made-her-look-

like-a-man/

African Sexuality. (n.d.). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from

http://www3.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/hist106web/slave%20communities/atlantic_world/gender.htm

Black Women's Hair Throughout History. (2017, February 28). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr1Qv9_YXEM

Charles, C. A. (n.d.). Skin Bleaching, Oppression and Black Resistance. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2519822
Works Cited Continued
Davis, M. A. (2013, October 28). 12 Years A Slave: Rage, Privilege, Black Women and White Women. Retrieved August 06,

2017, from http://jezebel.com/12-years-a-slave-rage-privilege-black-women-and-whit-1452173238

Degrees Conferred by Race and Gender. (n.d.). Retrieved August 7, 2017, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72

Durham, M. G. (2015). Quvenzhan and the Comedians: Black Girlhood and Sexuality at the Edge of Mediated Humor.

Communication, Culture & Critique, 8(4), 505-521. doi:10.1111/cccr.12099

Ellis, M. (2016, April 30). Lil Kim Isnt Black Anymore? Rappers Bombshell Reason For Bleaching Skin Leads To

Overwhelming Backlash. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.inquisitr.com/3049387/lil-kim-isnt-black-anymore-

rappers-bombshell-reason-for-bleaching-skin-leads-to-overwhelming-backlash/
Works Cited Continued
French, B. H. (2013). More than Jezebels and Freaks: Exploring How Black Girls Navigate Sexual Coercion and Sexual

Scripts. Journal of African American Studies, 35-49. doi:10.5260/cca.199319

Hair Types. (n.d.). Retrieved August 7, 2017, from http://www.curlcentric.com/hair-typing-system/

Hall, J. C. (2017). No Longer Invisible: Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of Skin Color Stratification in the Lives of

African American Women. Health & Social Work, 42(2), 71-78. doi:10.1093/hsw/hlx001

HTGAWM. (n.d.). Retrieved August 7, 2017, from http://abc.go.com/shows/how-to-get-away-with-murder

Lev, R. (n.d.). Michelle Obama. Retrieved August 7, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-raphael/michelle-obama-

senate-can_b_11477908.html
Works Cited Continued
Malcolm X- On Protecting Black Women. (2008, April 20). Retrieved August 01, 2017, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EIEKe8fVmg

Marriage in Black America. (n.d.). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://blackdemographics.com/households/marriage-in-

black-america/

Marshall, J. (2015, May 28). Retrieved August 07, 2017, from

https://www.scoopnest.com/user/CNNTonight/604115923293753344

Martinez, M. (2015, May 29). California police video: Pregnant woman arrested. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/28/us/barstow-california-police-video-pregnant-woman-arrest/index.html

Posts about Fahrenheit 451 on El Sentit de la Paraula. (n.d.). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from

https://elsentitdelaparaula.wordpress.com/category/fahrenheit-451/
Works Cited Continued
Raley, R. K., Sweeney, M. M., & Wondra, D. (2015). The Growing Racial and Ethnic Divide in U.S. Marriage Patterns. The

Future of Children, 25(2), 89-109. doi:10.1353/foc.2015.0014

Real SideChicks of Charlotte. (n.d.). Retrieved August 7, 2017, from http://www.ebony.com/love-sex/real-side-chicks-

charlotte-series#axzz4p271g0xq

Samuels, A. (2012, February 27). Why Viola Davis Ditched the Wig at the Oscars. Retrieved August 07, 2017, from

http://www.thedailybeast.com/why-viola-davis-ditched-the-wig-at-the-oscars

Scandal. (n.d.). Retrieved August 7, 2017, from http://www.ihearthatgirl.com/5-things-scandal-can-teach-the-side-chick/

Sweet Brown- House Fire, no time for Bronchitis. (2012, April 10). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from
Works Cited Continued
The Jezebel Stereotype. (n.d.). Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/jezebel/

The Sapphire Caricature. (n.d.). Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/sapphire/