When people are asked to think about Black females, the stereotype that comes up quite quickly would be split between two categories: one of their appearance and the other of their attitude. The Black female stereotypic look quickly resorts to wigs, long nails, and plenty of curves. They tend to show a lot of skin, and if not, they are fully covered in ‘house-keeping clothing.’ The stereotypical attitude resorts to the idea that Black women are obnoxiously loud and have a fierce, dominant personality. They are strongly opinionated and tend to ignore other possibilities. These stereotypes are obnoxiously incorrect, but they are also cruel in terms of the women they depict. Black women have evolved from the restraints placed on them in the past, and each day, I see how strong and persistent Black women have become from the past.
Each stereotype that comes to mind when people think of Black women comes from a portion of history, where only one image was projected to the public. This article explores the historical stereotypes that classified Black women over the years and how unjust they are, as seen in my mother.
The first stereotype for Black women came from the 1920s, with the image of the Mammy. She was considered a large, independent woman who would wear headscarves and drab clothing to fulfill her only job in life — to serve her mistress and master. She would perform domestic chores around the house and raise the master’s and mistress’s children, giving them the love that she neglected to give her own kids. Any advice that she would lend to the head of the house would be disregarded as harmless and humorous. Her respect for those she worked for is an overflowing fountain compared to the love she showed her own family. The Mammy stereotype was presented to the public as a tyrant to her own family, with a hot-headed temper that would put her children and husband in their place. Her size, clothing, and attitude would be used to disregard Black women as emotional beings and only domestic workers. This stereotype was largely populated in older films, with a popular example being Hattie McDaniel’s role in Gone with the Wind. Although Ms. McDaniel is an excellent actress and a well-respected woman who is well-deserving of her awards, the only role available for her to play during that time was a servant woman who was seen as a side character in the lives of her white counterparts. Although the movie was phenomenal, it only reinforced the stereotype of the Mammy in people’s eyes.
Contrary to the stereotypes that are presented to the public, my mother is a clear example of the injustice of stereotypes that are presented to Black women. My mother happens to be an intellectual, strong-minded woman who just wants to be there for her family. Despite the idea of Black women working for others, only to return home and rule over the other family members is a ridiculous misconception. Like many Black women, my mother does not work to serve anyone. Her work happens to be something she enjoys and will go above and beyond to make sure that the work she puts out is nothing less than perfect. She works so that she can support and guide her kids to make a happier life for themselves. Whether it be yelling at us to wash our hands so that we don’t get sick or soothing us with positive words about being kind to ourselves, she only strives to help us reach our highest potential. Her advice may come across as funny but it has real sentiment and is meant to help us understand how to navigate the startling world that throws a ludicrous amount of curveballs at us. Although we may disregard her advice, each bit is said with love and sincerity so that we can take a moment to re-organize, refresh, and restart. The idea that Black women are dictators to their families is another falsity; Black women may seem powerful but it is because they are trying to be the leader that their kids can look up to and aspire to follow in their footsteps. They want to set a direction so that their kids don’t do anything to injure themselves mentally and/or physically. What may seem like an iron fist in the hands of my mom, is really a soft hand that has been hardened through years of experience and wisdom that is now shaped to help create an open-minded child who can do anything they set their minds to. And if that hand touches you, it only has love and kindness to give you.
Black women have evolved from the restraints placed on them in the past, and each day, I see how strong and persistent Black women have become from the past- especially in my mother.
After the era of the Mammy, the new stereotype that came out was the stereotype of Aunt Jemimah that dominated the early 1960s. Her life duties were restricted to cooking and only cooking. People used this image to place Black women in the role of domestic work in the kitchen. This suited the segregation that was taking over America at the time because many Black women were placed in the background (specifically the kitchen) to separate the roles of black and white people. This image became even more popular when Aunt Jemimah became a kitchen staple with the pancake advertisement. The company’s original founders believed that having Aunt Jemimah as the brand image would automatically sponsor ideas of good cooking. Her brand spread to other kitchen essentials in grocery list holders, salt and pepper shakers, spoon holders, and more. In the current rise of people realizing the wrongs of racial stereotypes, the company realized how wrong the idea of having Aunt Jeremiah’s stereotype representing their brand was and changed the brand name to the Pearl Milling Company. The Aunt Jemimah stereotype was a staple problem in establishing that Black women should be behind the scenes and stick to domestic work. But not all Black women are domestic workers. They are all icons whose roles vary based on the dreams that they are chasing. In my mother’s case, she is constantly moving in and out of the house working and taking care of us. Regarding domestic work, she did her fair share before she had kids. But now, she has the responsibility to make sure that when we leave the house, we can take care of our environment and ourselves. She takes the time to educate us on how to sweep the floors, clean the bathrooms, and wash the dishes for our better health. Domestic work is not a restraint nor a requirement for her living. And her guidance has truly paid off in a daughter who doesn’t leave her chores off for her room to clutter and become a greasy mess.
After the Aunt Jemimah stereotype came, one of the more popular ones called the Sapphire appeared. This refers to a bossy, headstrong woman who is constantly engaged in verbal battles with her husband. She has the emotional makeup of both Aunt Jemimah and Mammy combined, making her very independent yet bad-tempered. This stereotype became popular with the television show Amos and Andy directed to white Americans. She became a dominating matriarch who rose in public popularity because people loved her hand on the hip and finger-pointing style. She was considered a funny side character who was only there to stress out her husband. On the contrasting current day spectrum, my mother happens to be the complete opposite of Sapphire. For one, she is not a side character. To strangers, she might just be another woman on the street, but once you get to know her, you can see the love and sincerity that emanates from her. She is someone that will tell you the truth and will only sugar-coat it if you are not ready to hear the truth. The number of times that I have heard her tell me how she really feels about something is really a privilege because not all parents will give you the honest truth that you need to hear. Her honesty comes from a whole-hearted place of real listening and understanding. In light of the current world concerning racism, the LGBTQ2+ community, pop culture, legal injustices, and more, she does the research in order to speak to me about it. She wants to learn not just from an overall perspective but from me — how I feel and how I react to it is something that she takes the time to care about and help with. As for her relationship with her husband (my dad), it’s incredible how much of a realistic couple they are. Compared to the drastic ups and downs the media shows when it comes to marital relationships, they take each hurdle with an air of patience and understanding. Like every couple, they do have their conflicts but they never let it tear them to a point of no return. Even in the hardest times, they put on a brave face for my little siblings and me so that we are not worried about the issues they are facing together. That’s something I can seriously appreciate now that I am older; having the opportunity to still be my childish self without being overcome with fears of a different future for my family is something I always took for granted. And in the eyes of my friends whose parents are divorced, I have even more of an appreciation for the strength my mom showed whenever there were no ups.
The final historical stereotype that floated through everyone’s eyes was the idea of a Jezebel. This took a turn of events from the large bosomed woman with a bad temper to an image of a harlot. It was supposed to represent the sexual side of Black women. The traditional Jezebel was featured to be a light-skinned, slender mulatto (a person of mixed white and black ancestry) girl with long straight hair and small features. She was considered to be immensely attractive for white males who would be seduced. This stereotype helped form the hyper-sexualization of Black women because Jezebel closely represented the European idea for beauty that was popular on television, film and newspapers. During this time, the idea that Black women could be beautiful on their own was not considered to be a possibility in the media so when people started noticing how beautiful Black women are, they sexualized them in order to make themselves feel better about seeing beauty in someone that was not supposed to be beautiful. The Jezebel stereotype was created to absolve white males of responsibility in the sexual abuse and rape of Black women. In such cases, they were asking for it, acting like Jezebels. Obviously, this is a load of nonsense. Black women and all women have the right to dress and act as they wish. Never are women asking for it; the fault in this instance always should go to the attacker who has the disgusting inability to restrain themselves and respect women. In reference to the stereotype that the Jezebels only dress to be attractive to others, my mother happens to change that mentality. Whether she be in comfortable clothing or an evening gown, she always represents a beautiful woman. Her beauty is always seen in her twinkling eyes that crinkle when she smiles and the little gap between her two front teeth; that brings me to see how pretty she is. The hairstyle she chooses that I could never pull off and her slender hands that are always open are the perfect examples of the little beauty, which people choose to ignore. Granted, she also has a wonderful, charismatic personality that would entertain and influence anyone she talks to (except for her children who sometimes choose to hide in their rooms than talk to her but are making efforts to come out more).
For all the Black women out there, there are so many stereotypical barriers that are being planted in front of you to prevent you from becoming your true self. Dismiss them…
The truth is that the stereotypes that are attached to Black women are some of the most harmful yet most believed stereotypes. The number of incidents that have occurred where people say that Black women are too angry, too loud, dressed too provocatively, or simply are too much should not be such a high, uncountable value. As seen in my mother and the many Black women I have met, I can rightfully tell you that these stereotypes are painful lies and tricks that have prevented many people from moving on from the barriers in front of them. Due to the natural essence of society, stereotypes can’t be banned. But it’s the people’s mindset that can be changed.
For all the Black women out there, there are so many stereotypical barriers that are being planted in front of you to prevent you from becoming your true self. Dismiss them and keep moving on to make progress in your life. If you can’t climb over them, then fight them and clear the way for the young Black girls behind you. Make a life for yourself that you can be proud of, no matter what injustices are being thrown your way. I believe in you and I wish you all the best in all your future endeavors. And trust me, there are so many other people out there rooting for you!
And to my mom, thank you so much. You are one of the biggest inspirations in my life, and I promise your guidance, advice, love, and protection are not in vain. I truly admire the efforts you put into taking care of all of us and I apologize for not taking more consideration to the time and love you put on us. I am always trying my best to make you proud, and I can’t thank you enough for the kindness and concern you give out. I love you!