Stereotype of a Black Female Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Unfortunately, stereotyping and the bias based on it are serious problems that many people face on a daily basis. Among the categories of people who are subjected to stereotyping more than other ones are black females. There exist a number of stereotypes concerning them including the stereotypes of “mammy”, “matriarch”, “Jezebel”, “gold diggers”, and many more. Generally, all of these stereotypes play a negative role as they prevent people from sound and logical reasoning regarding the group of people subjected to unjust ways of thinking. In the following paper, three stereotypes that I have faced in my life will be addressed in terms of the reasons for their formation and the mistakes that lie at the heart of these stereotypes.

First, people believe that black women are very aggressive (Cunningham & Macrae, 2011). Those who think so support their beliefs by the examples from modern-day movies showing black females as leaders of gangs, esurient to get as much material values as a result of their activity as possible, and to establish their authority over as many people as possible. The image of an angry black woman is also supported by some of the examples from history that show some black women as aggressive warriors and ruthless killers. Evaluating the grounds for this stereotype, I should say that they are insufficient. Of course, some black women are truly aggressive, but white women can be aggressive as well. The color of skin is not a key point that predicts someone’s character; the same can be said about gender. Rather, if someone is aggressive or not is determined by upbringing and personal inclinations. In addition, human history is full of examples of the violent conduct of white women, and it is simply overfilled with the examples of cruel behavior of white men. Thus, the grounds of the stereotype that black women are violent are far away from reality. However, such a way of thinking has a negative impact on the lives of affected people because they are poorly treated on the reason of bias (Kemick, 2012).

Secondly, it is believed that black females are a lot like a harlot Jezebel, described in the Hebrew Scriptures. The biblical account of Jezebel shows this woman as a disgusting prostitute only concerned with sexual interests and material rewards that she may have as a result of her encounters with males. In parallel to Jezebel, black females are often seen as sexually concerned and desire to have as much sexual relations as possible. For this reason, they are not taken seriously at work and in relationships. Addressing the grounds for this stereotype, I must confess that I do not have a clear idea of why such misconceptions about black women exist. It is true that some black women try to show themselves as sexual and passionate lovers on TV, in the press, on a music stage, and so on, but white and Asiatic women do it even more active because of the culture of immorality is popular today. In addition, I do not think it is possible to find more or less convincing examples from history that would show any parallels between black females and Queen Jezebel. Therefore, I should say that I consider this stereotype absolutely inexcusable. Black females do suffer a lot from the problems related to the “Jezebel” stereotype; this is especially so due to the sexual harassment by white men at work or in other public places. Besides, because of this stereotype it happens that black females happen to face prejudiced attitudes with regards to their intellectual abilities and professionalism (Mosser, 2011). Reflecting on such examples as the example of Condoleezza Rice, it is easy to see that the stereotype of “Jezebel” has no common sense behind it.

Finally, I will address the stereotype of “gold diggers” that I have seen in the attitudes of some of my relatives and family friends. According to the stereotype that black females are “gold diggers”, it is believed that they are looking for ways to ‘despoil’ the males who are in relationships with them. People view black females in this light because they consider that there are no many opportunities for black women to provide for themselves, but to be dependent on men who are more secure financially. Again, I cannot agree with this stereotype because first of all, not only do black women look for the sources of material welfare in their men’s pockets, and secondly, nowadays, there are many better opportunities for black women to provide for themselves. Of course, there have always existed women who wanted an easier life, and these are not only black women; however, it is not a reason to see black females as “gold diggers”. Besides, feminists managed to attain incredible success in the area of employment and payment for all women; thus, today many women have a chance to have a good life by means of their own achievements.

In conclusion, despite the fact that there exist many negative stereotypes about black females, a closer look at the situation shows that they are mistaken. However, these stereotypes are the reason of serious harm that the affected category of people has to face. They are also of great harm for those who believe in them as they are robbed of an opportunity to have a reasonable and sober way of thinking.

References

Cunningham, S., & Macrae, C. (2011). The colour of gender stereotyping. British Journal Of Psychology, 102(3), 598-614.

Kemick, A. (2012). Stereotyping Has Lasting Negative Impact: Prejudice Has Lingering Effects. University of Toronto, 1-3.

Mosser, K. (2011). An introduction to logic. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, February 3). Stereotype of a Black Female. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stereotype-of-a-black-female/

Work Cited

"Stereotype of a Black Female." IvyPanda, 3 Feb. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/stereotype-of-a-black-female/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Stereotype of a Black Female'. 3 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Stereotype of a Black Female." February 3, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stereotype-of-a-black-female/.

1. IvyPanda. "Stereotype of a Black Female." February 3, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stereotype-of-a-black-female/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Stereotype of a Black Female." February 3, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stereotype-of-a-black-female/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1