Black Women are not a Monolith

Black women have been subjected to unfair stereotypes and tropes that are in a negative light. The negative image of black women stems from slavery because, during that time, enslaved women were used as breeding tools to save money on purchasing labor. Enslavers implemented race inferiority by creating caricatures— a concept that enslavers had enforced by their perception of black women. The stereotypes that represent us are aggressive, volatile, promiscuous and subservient. This monolith fails to include the positive entities of black women.

The representation of black women influences others' perceptions of us, and in a way, black women in media represent black women. For example, the female rap industry is overly saturated with overt sexual imagery that does not serve us. There is nothing wrong with black women wanting to express their sexuality, but it becomes problematic when it promotes a negative image of black women as a whole.

Despite the negative imagery of black women that is put in the forefront, different facets of black women do exist. There is a positive representation of black women in different industries. Series like “Insecure” and “Girlfriends” portray positive images of black women. Black women are diverse and should be seen as individualistic rather than characterized based on a single perception.