The Oversexualization of Black Women

Contributing Writer

Djemima Duvernat

I am here to point a finger at social media, our mothers, and our education system because, yes, there is a culprit for the sexualization of black women's bodies. It began back during slavery and colonization, so what is the excuse now? Everything that was done by ignorance during slavery is still done today, but with a full understanding of the issue. The question is not why black women are being disrespected, the question is why are we still allowing it?  

Women have not been able to escape the constant criticism and abuse over their existence. Male discomfort should be the issue in question, but everyone is more focused on what a little girl is wearing around their uncles, cousins, or family friends. Black women have an invisible guidebook to live their lives by. Some of them don’t even know it until it slaps them in the face.

Imagine being told to change or sit properly on the couch because your uncle is coming over; that’s the life of a little black girl. It feels like a betrayal by your own race on top of everyone else. These little girls have no idea what it means to be sexualized or what sexuality even is.

The Jezebel Stereotype

The Jezebel stereotype is not to be confused with the biblical Jezebel. There is a similarity as they both portray women as wicked and immoral, but the Jezebel stereotype is quite different from the biblical picture.

The Jezebel stereotype started with slavery and colonialism, when African women were sexually exploited by colonizers. They justified their actions by labeling black women as sexually deviant and unsatisfied with their race. Although we are now in modern times, the damage is still there and growing stronger. People do not view black women as fully human, but rather as mere objects for sexual gratification.

This image of the hypersexual black woman persisted well beyond slavery. It influences how black women are portrayed in literature, art, and popular culture throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The stereotype not only stripped black women of their humanity but also served as an excuse for racism and sexism, and now argued that people of color needed white people to teach them civilization and rationalization. While slavery has long been abolished, the Jezebel stereotype continues to affect black women around the globe. 

Media Representation

The media is very powerful, and Hollywood works overtime to dehumanize people of color. When you look online, black women are always “the baby mama," “the stripper,” and whatever else they have made us out to be. What you see becomes what you think, and just like that, we are manipulated by the media. Is that fair to people of color, specifically black women?

We have the power to change the world again through the new generations. We can reshape perspectives and make sure that mistakes are not repeated. Social media is very dangerous because people are quite gullible, and children are more prone to being groomed. A child is like a pile of clay, and what they see and hear shapes them into adulthood.

Women in general deserve to be treated with respect, but black women deserve to be treated like people, not just with respect. Their bodies need to be seen for what they are and not as objects that can be used to satisfy some sexual fantasy.

In the past, it was said that black women needed to be civilized; what is the excuse now? What should a little black girl today be told when she sees someone who could be a role model being treated like a sex toy? What is the excuse for those harmful movies and videos on social media? How do you convince a little girl that she is not a toy to be played with?

Education

Research has shown that the oversexualization of women can have profound effects on the self-perception and identity of black women. In a study by Seanna Leath et al., it was found that black women are acutely aware of the Jezebel stereotype and its influence on how others perceive them. This awareness shapes their gendered racial identity and forms their sexual beliefs and behaviors. Black women in this study reported feeling pressured to conform to or reject the stereotype, with some embracing hypersexuality as a form of empowerment, but others actively distanced themselves from such representations to avoid judgment.

Awareness

The issue is how black women are treated in our society. We are being depicted as less than humans because, God forbid, we were born a woman and black. Two things that no one has control over. No one can guess what gender or race they will be born into.

I am not saying that we need to stop putting people in those categories, but what I am asking is to stop ignoring the issue and stop rubbing salt into the wound. Educate our children and teach them the dos and don’ts. They are the next generation, and they have it in their power to change the outcome of the next decades.

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