Stereotype of a Black Female Essay

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.