From Picture to Practice the Abuse of the African American Female Body
To some degree or another, everyone has been programmed to think or act a certain way. The sad reality is that the average person cannot escape being programmed by external societal factors. These external societal factors have the power to mold “…beliefs and values that are deeply embedded in the routine experiences of the vast majority of the population,” (Nachbar and Lause). Popular culture is a compilation of artistic expressions that have come to represent a particular society’s celebrated time periods or common beliefs. The effects of popular culture transcend pictures and movies. Popular culture has an influence on beliefs and more
consequently an influence on behavior. Television and media have played an enormous role in shaping the average American’s perception of African American women. Due to the hypersexual portrayal of African American women, they have been indebted to men as sexual property. Wherein, refusal to this transaction can lead to emotional, physical, or verbal abuse, rape, and even murder. Misogynoir is a word used to acknowledge this very specific convergence of anti-blackness and misogyny and is therefore not applicable to non-black women. This convergence is frequently disregarded in conversations about misogyny and in conversations about racism. Because white feminists traditionally universalize womanhood as a homogeneously common experience based on the default narrative of white women, misogynoir has become thoroughly embedded in American culture and has had a detrimental effect on African American women and how their peers view them and more consequently, how intimate partners view them. The need for scholars, policy makers, public officials, and health care workers to be culturally competent to the needs of African American women to more effectively provide services and interventions is critical. For instance, unless one understands the historical impact of institutional racism, it
may be difficult to understand why African American women are more reluctant to report physical abuse to police or social service agencies than their white counterparts (Asbury, Hampton & Yung). Throughout history, physiological differences were used to rationalize the rape, mutilation, and experimentation of the black female body.
The physical scars of slavery transcended time and became the mental and emotional scars of hyper-sexualization and media hyped stereotypes. Stereotypes play a huge part in how Americans view African American women. Stereotypes of African American women have shifted and warped over time going from the Mammy, the asexual and nurturing housekeeper, to the Welfare Mama, who has sex only to breed and “lives off the system”; then came the, Jezebel, who only has sex to satisfy white men and lives to fulfill sexual desires. And finally, the
Matriarch, who uses sex to emasculate and control men, she is seen as the source of African-American problems. While the media hyped stereotypes of African African-American women have shifted over the years, one thing has stayed prominent, sex. No matter the stereotype, the African American woman’s sexuality persistently played a role in the perceptions of African American women. Branding African American women this way historically created the illusion that men could never take advantage of African American women because they constantly wanted sex. The effects of this portrayal of the African American woman as a sexually insatiable creature have a greater effect than the self-esteem of African American women. These sexual stereotypes coupled with the idea that all African American women are loud spoken and domineering creates a dangerous presumption that African American women cannot be sexually harassed, much less sexually assaulted. This presumption raises dangerous questions that endanger African American women in terms of “believable” rape. How can African American women be harassed in the workplace, for example, when they are boisterous and intimidating? How can African American
women be taken advantage of sexually when they are never sexually satisfied? The African American woman often does not feel the protection of laws that are aimed to protect women in the workplace and elsewhere, because society has been overly exposed to the picture of African American women as dominant, both sexually and otherwise (Ingram, Jones).
For African American women, domestic violence is an even bigger problem than workplace harassment. African American women are almost three times as likely to experience death as a result of DV/IPV1 as White women (Jones, Ingram). And while African American women only make up 8% of the population, 22% of homicides that result from DV/IPV happen to African American women and 29% of all victimized women, making it one of the leading causes of death for African American women ages fifteen to thirty-five, according to the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work (Jones). African American women are often doubly victimized: first by the assault from their partner or spouse and then by a society that often fails to provide them with the appropriate kinds of support and interventions that would empower women of color to break out of the cycle of violence (C. M. West; Jones). Given their history, African American women cannot be merely labeled victims of abuse (Axelrod). They are more aptly described as survivors of abuse and oppressive economic, educational, and social conditions (Axelrod; Hill; Hawkins; Raposo and Carr). A number of studies have been conducted as to gain statistical data
surrounding the amount of African American women in impoverished communities who experience verbal or physical abuse or some combination of the two. Traditionally, rather than turn to social, law enforcement, or government agencies for help, African American women are more inclined to endure the abuse until it becomes too intense; then, they will usually seek medical help from their doctor or through emergency services or informal friendship networks.
1
In a study of suicidal ideation among African American women, the association between abuse and suicidality was evident. For example, Kaslow et al. (1998) conducted an extensive study of African American women who were abused, in which they concluded that “it appears that women abused by their partners constitute a subgroup of women at heightened risk for suicidal behaviors” (538). The problem is, as Manetta (1999) wrote, “African American women may under report the amount of abuse they experience in close relationships. As they are too keenly aware of the racial problems experienced by African American men in the wider society, they may not want to admit there is anything wrong in the home for fear of compounding this
problem” (518). Manetta Theorizes that because of racial tension in America as a whole, African American women may be hesitant to report abuse in the home out of fear that the problem will escalate. Statistically, they experience sexual assault and DV/IPV at disproportionate rates and have the highest rates of intra-racial violence against them than any other group. They are also less likely to report or seek help when they are victimized (Manetta; Jones; Ingram). The reasons African American women suffer disproportionately from abuse are complex to say the least. Racism and sexism are two of the biggest obstacles that African American women in America face (Jones). But because many African American women and men believe racism is a bigger issue than sexism, African American women tend to feel obligated to put racial issues ahead of sex-based issues (Jones; Ingram). For African American women, a strong sense of cultural affinity and loyalty to community and race renders many of them silent, so their stories often go untold. One of the biggest related impediments is the hesitation in trusting the police or the justice system (Jones). As a minority, African American women do not always feel comfortable surrendering to the treatment of a racially biased police state, and as women, they do not always feel safe calling police officers who may harm them instead of helping them (Jones; Ingram).
Moreover, when they do speak out or seek help, too often they experience backlash from members of their communities who believe they are airing out dirty laundry and making the community look bad in front of White people (Jones). Access to employment and economic self-sufficiency are also important factors. Racism has a disparate impact on African Americans, men especially, who have, for the past six decades, consistently been held to an unemployment rate almost double that of white men (Desilver; Jones). In a society that measures “manhood” primarily by one’s ability to provide, being denied access to the means to provide can cause some men to seek power through dominating women. For some men, the venting of anger turns violent and their partners suffer the greatest blows (Jones). In 1954, the earliest year for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics has consistent unemployment data by race, the white rate averaged 5% and the black rate averaged 9.9%. Last month, the jobless rate among whites was 6.6%; among blacks, 12.6%. Over that time, the unemployment rate for blacks has averaged about 2.2 times that for whites (Desilver; US Bureau of Labor and Statistics). African American women also face employment disparities, earning less than African American men and White men and women (Desilver). This wage disparity limits available options and leaves many women, particularly mothers, feeling trapped in bad relationships where financial needs trump all.
There is a lot that is not fully understood about the unique ways in which African American women endure DV/IPV. Because there is a lack of empirical research, it is indicative that many simply have a lack of empathy and concern for what African American women
experience. While the true reason why scholarly discourse surrounding the health and stability of the African American home is unclear, one thing is overwhelmingly clear: As a whole there cannot be a win to this fight if there is not first simple acknowledgment that this fight exists to begin with (Ingram). While social media has become valuable in helping victims share their
stories and learn about resources that can help, there is still a general ignorance over accessible victim treatments and safeguards for women who report (Jones; Ingram). There needs to be a push for stronger laws that punish criminal abusers and there is a need to advocate for more treatment options for victims and abusers who seek help especially in low-income impoverished areas (Jones). With this work, the African American community can begin reducing the stigma attached to seeking help when one is in trouble. Most of all, it is important to encourage the belief that African American girls and women are valuable to the bigger society. They are important and worth putting themselves and their personal safety first, and in modern American society that might be the hardest thing of all. For too long, the experiences of African American women have been ignored, particularly when it comes to those that affect the overall health and well-being. For centuries, their bodies and labor have been exploited to serve the needs of everyone but themselves, and the physical and psychological toll can no longer be swept under the rug. African American women matter, period. And the longer they remain invisible and have their dignity stripped from them and their humanity disregarded, the longer the destruction of their families and communities will continue. Cohesiveness between sexes and races must begin to end the marginalization of African American women.
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