The world loves spreading these three lies about Black women. Not only are they false, but they cause real-life harm. Let’s stop perpetuating them.
Lie #1: Black Girls Are "Fast"
Often from childhood, Black girls are called "fast," a term used to mean that they are supposedly sexually curious or promiscuous.
According to scholars, this language excuses men with a sexual interest in girls and wrongly shifts the onus of “respectability” onto children. This ultimately creates a harmful culture of blaming Black women and girls for their victimization.
Lie #2: Black Women Are Unusually Strong
This lie perpetuates an image of Black women as supernaturally strong. While we can celebrate this resilience, this trope places a superhero’s cape on Black women that makes them feel responsible for everyone and everything, often at the expense of their own well-being.
This trope has real-life consequences, such as Black women being disproportionately likely to die during childbirth because they're assumed to be less sensitive to pain.
Lie #3: Black Women Are Angry
Black women have been characterized as inherently aggressive, especially by mass media, for centuries, but no one is inherently angry. This trope undermines Black women's emotional well-being and humanity and has implications that harm Black women in the workplace and in their relationships.
When we internalize these lies that dehumanize Black women, we're perpetuating anti-Blackness. Commit to speaking up the next time you see these lies being weaponized against a woman in our community.