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Hiding Behind the Strength

Betty Rivers, February 2o22

“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman.” - Malcolm X
Throughout American history, the Black woman has remained the backbone of society and the Black community, especially. For her endeavors, she’s been rewarded with the expectations that come with the role of being the “Strong Black Woman.” This stereotype has caused a lot of pain to the Black woman, despite what the name suggests.
 
She’s unbreakable, resilient, independent… almost superhuman. Despite the adversity she faces, the Black woman is supposed to project strength and suppress any type of “negative” emotion, like sadness. The role of the Strong Black Woman is pushed by the media, parents, and the Black community to be internalized and accepted by Black girls while they are young. They grow up feeling like they must hold back their emotions to avoid appearing weak. 


​She is confrontational, emotionally restrained, unattractive, and unloveable as she focuses on her success and being a caregiver to others. She becomes consumed with solving other people’s problems and is left with no time to take care of herself. She puts her own problems on the back burner with little to no concern about how others’ problems will affect her physical and mental health. Living up to these expectations leaves pressure to live up to being strong while having to constantly police one’s feelings.

She is constantly reminded of intersectionality, the acknowledgement that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression including gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc. Black women face double the amount discrimination with race and gender, but are pushed to have a drive to succeed despite the limited resources they are given. This can cause Maladaptive Perfectionism, perfectionism that can include setting unrealistic standards, overreacting when not reaching the standard, and always needing to be in control. And if they don't meet their goal, they feel like unsuccessful failures or unworthy. Because in expecting them to succeed, you might be setting them up to fail. This can cause them to be overly concerned about mistakes and force them to face higher levels of stress, anxiety, and even depression.

This stereotype also brings forward another: “the aggressive Black woman.” Black women are already masculinized, but this trope forces that she is stronger than a man and less feminine than other women. Especially when she is put in the forefront of movements and social injustices, like the BLM protests. For Black women, their image is destroyed, and they are never seen in the same light as women of other races. White femininity, on the other hand, is valued for being beautiful, fragile, and vulnerable. The expectation to be a Strong Black Woman at all times becomes internalized, and tears down the ability for Black Women to show the weakness that their white counterparts are allowed to show. 

The strong Black woman is not the only stereotype that puts Black women into boxes. There is also the mammy (an older caregiver to white families), the Jezebel (a promiscuous and evil woman), and the Sapphire (a stubborn, bossy, and hateful woman). These, just like the strong Black woman trope, rid us of humanity and promote the idea that the only role Black women can hold is that of unbreakable strength.

Black women are diverse not only in character, but in range of emotions. There is nothing wrong with a Black woman being strong, but when a Black woman is only looked at for her strength,  the statement becomes more negative than positive.

BETTY RIVERS

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  • Home
    • Women's History Month >
      • Books Written by Women
      • women are amazing
      • A Celebration Of Women's Achievements
      • Anonymous Stories: Women’s History Month
    • Hispanic Heritage Month >
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Top 5 Books for Hispanic Heratige Month
      • El Día de los Muertos - FAQ
      • Mexican Independence Day
      • Hispanic Artists
      • Hispanic Authors
    • PODCAST >
      • Love & Dating
      • All Things Black History
    • Teacher's Corner >
      • Teacher's Corner: Gordon
      • Teacher's Corner: Ejzak
      • Teacher's Corner: David
      • Teacher's Corner: Wilde
    • Sports/Clubs
    • Student Businesses
    • Resources >
      • LGBTQ+ Resources
    • Black History Month Collection >
      • Angelica Dass: The Nature of Color
      • How Coraline Could Be So Much Creepier
      • Chicago's Historian, My Father
      • Top 3 Black Artists
      • Pain For Profit
      • Black Historical Figures
      • HALLOWEEN ARTICLES >
        • Where's All The Halloween Spirit?
        • Op-Eds >
          • The white Christmas Ideology
          • FUN & QUIRKY CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD
          • The Hanukkah Games
          • Next Generation of A-List Hollywood Stars
          • Juice WRLD: A Celebration of Life
          • High School's Personal Hell: Finals
          • Why Eggnog?
        • Why Hocus Pocus Is The Best Halloween Movie
        • An Overanalysis Of The Nightmare Before Christmas
        • The History of Halloween
        • BROOKS TOP 5: Movies and Horror Games
        • HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT HORROR
        • The Quarry: Game Review
        • Game Review: Outlast 2
        • Who's the Ghoulest of Them All?
        • Game Review: Silent Hill
      • Hiding Behind the Strength
    • This Month >
      • Media Reviews >
        • Why Princess Bubblegum Isn't A Bad Person
        • Crazy Rich Asians: Movie vs Book Review
        • Why Craig of The Creek is the Best Children's Show
        • GOD OF WAR Review
        • Watch Interview with the Vampire
        • Top 5 Classic Christmas Movies IMO/BROOKS OPINION
        • Tokyo Godfathers is a Weird, Wonderful Christmas Gem
        • Top 10 Videogame Soundtracks
      • Location Reviews >
        • Daisy's Po-Boy & Tavern
      • Sports Panel >
        • Brooks Men's Varsity Basketball: Analysis
      • CREATIVE WRITING >
        • You Make Me Anxious
        • Valdrá La Pena Para Ti
        • Cooking Corner >
          • Brioche >
            • Featured articles >
              • What Makes Wednesday's Dance so Iconic
              • An Overanalysis On Wednesday Characters
          • Pizzelles
          • Sicilian Christmas Cookies
          • No-Bake Cheesecake
          • Tiramisu
          • pozole
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