User:TacoTime55/Angry black woman

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The angry black woman stereotype is a racial trope in American society that portrays black women as ill-mannered and ill-tempered by nature, more widely known as the "sapphire".

Within stereotypes of groups within the United States, the angry black woman stereotype is less studied by researchers than the mammy and jezebel archetypes.

This stereotype serves as a social mechanism intended to punish Black women who are not "passive" and "subservient", as this threatens the control the dominant culture must uphold in order to maintain their social status in society. This ultimately leads to a form of double bind, which occurs when an individual is met with two conflicting demands or actions with no clear resolution to the situation, usually resulting in a lose-lose situation for the individual. For black women, this double bind phenomenon can be seen in many everyday scenarios. For example, if a Black women is met with a workplace issue that involve racial or gender based discrimination, the outcome is not likely to favor the Black women. Noting, whether the woman chooses to speak up or be complicit to the discrimination, her character will be judged.

Sapphire stereotype as source

Sapphire is a term associated with the most dominant portrayals of Black women. According to the stereotype, Sapphires were perceived as malicious and stubborn, with an overbearing nature. Aside from being depicted as unnecessarily loud and violent, Sapphires were also known to have an insatiable desire for African-American men. The Sapphire is thought to be closely related to the Mammy, though instead of a comforting demeanor, she is far more sexualized. The Sapphire is often seen as abusive, possessing a strong need to dominate, and looking for opportunities to project her own unhappiness upon others. The Sapphire poses as a persistent nagger, complaining not in hopes of a solution, but rather because she herself is bitter.

The Sapphire archetype painted enslaved women as impure, strong, and overly aggressive. This archetype characterizes the Black woman as experiencing disappointment, displeasure, bitterness or rage because of her significant other. The term has also been generalized to refer to Black women who show extreme emotion. Negative caricatures and over sexualization of Black women historically justified their exploitation.

Perpetuation and reproduction of the stereotype

With roots in slavery, the Sapphire archetype was further replicated in films, shows, and literature by the early 1930s. Through these media and social platforms the stereotype was cultivated and sustained. Black women were perceived to be loud, overly expressive, and generally negative and rude in nature. The 1930s radio show Amos 'n' Andy was one of the first media outlets that reinforced this stereotype. In this production two white men voiced Black characters, among those characters were Black women. The narrative of anger, assertiveness, and frequent emasculation was echoed with characters such as Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son and Pam from Martin. The negative portrayals of African Americans in television and film influenced perceptions of them in real life. The reinforcement of the angry Black woman stereotype through media led to negative interpretations of Black women's self-expression. We see this replicated as well in film, through portraying African American women as far older in order to remove sympathy garnering characteristics from Black characters.

The pervasiveness of the angry Black woman stereotype causes Black women to suppress their emotions for fear of being labeled as said stereotype. Black women's anger is often characterized as unjustified, or yet another example of Black women being "overemotional". This overtly shifts the focus from the cause of the anger to the reaction itself, may it be a conscious or subconscious.

Relationships to other stereotypes

The Sapphire archetype coincides with the mammy and Jezebel, each upholding the generalization of angry Black women. Under the mammy archetype, Black women were characterized as caregivers and submissive, while the Jezebel is characterized as dependent, promiscuous, aggressive, and arrogant. The reproduction of these archetypes in popular culture legitimized the dehumanization of black women, normalizing an inaccurate portrayal of Black women for society to internalize.

Gender studies professor Deborah Gray White writes, "slave women understood the value of silence and secrecy... like all who are dependent upon the caprices of a master, they hide their real sentiments and turn toward him changeless smile or enigmatic passivity". In other words, slavery poses a direct correlation to the Black women's emotional response, being taught that a domineering personality could be viewed as threatening.

Black Feminist Response

Black women have used various platforms and mediums to fight back against the Angry Black Women trope that has contributed to their marginalization for centuries. A number of Black women provide insight on how the stereotype is reinforced in the media, social spaces, and interpersonal interactions. Furthermore, Black women, whether if it's through activism, academia, art, or dance, affirm their rage. Through such activism and discourse, Black women have opened many conversations regarding the dismissal and scrutiny of their emotions.

Black feminists have discredited the trope of the angry Black woman and recognize the validity in a black woman's anger. Black women are demanding a more accurate representation in the media overall in order to further the progression of the Black woman. Black feminists believe that the positive aspects of a Black woman's experience should be depicted in the media as well to hinder the persistence of this stereotype.

Portrayals

The aftermath of slavery not only resulted in many social, economic and political effects but also led to the delineation of negative racial stereotypes in the portrayal of black women in media. The industry showed the stereotypical ideas of Black women from mammies to sapphires, portraying Black women as unnecessarily aggressive and obnoxious. Many media outlets profit off these portrayals, consistently dramatizing these tropes to fir their storyline. As in various films, lead Black women actresses are consistently depicted as angry and start an argument as black men are portrayed in a positive manner. Black women are often portrayed as an aggressive convict or a poor single mother with a lack of higher education. This stereotype has changed over time, however, the media still depicts Black women in a negative perception.

Feminists believe that this is still extremely prevalent today, while non-feminists assert that there is a wide variety of black characters in all forms of media today, including both stereotypes and stereotype-free characters. Both groups do note that the "angry black woman" is one of the types of characters that is sometimes portrayed. It's been difficult to be a black women without not being angry after generations of oppression, discrimination and erasure. Black women aren't allowed to express frustration and passions without being criticized and demonized. They are labeled as loud, vindictive and always in trouble as men are allowed to get upset without constructive criticism because it can establish their masculinity. The strong black women myth often does well in movies and TV shows, but has contributed to making black women look miserable and nonproductive as opposed to other groups/races in reality. Examples of modern movies containing one or more "angry black woman" character include the Madea series, Empire, and others:

• Sapphire, from Amos 'n' Andy
• Aunt Esther, a character in Sanford and Son
• Wilhelmina Slater, a character in Ugly Betty

Public health

In regards to culturally relevant practices during mental health treatment, Ashley W, author of The angry black woman: the impact of pejorative stereotypes on psychotherapy with black women. describes "the myth of the angry Black woman that characterizes these women as aggressive, ill tempered, illogical, overbearing, hostile, and ignorant without provocation" as a negative stereotype that victimizes Black women.

Black women are expected to appear strong-willed and self-sacrificing in their daily lives, irregardless of the traumas they experience due to being a Black women in a dominant society. The tropes used to label black women can have lasting effects, both mental and physical. The overabundance of stress that accompanies the racial and gender based discrimination can manifest into legitimate health issues such as anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. The exposure to institutionalized racism over for an extensive period can lead to an increase in physiological stressors, which can lead to cardiovascular disorders and diseases. Chronic stress can lead to further health effects affiliating with racial discrimination.

Researchers have found effective coping strategies to combat the everlasting effects of racism, such as relying heavily on spirituality and placing their belief in a non-material and non-observational being. Vernessa R. Clark, author of The Perilous Effects of Racism on Blacks, notes that there are numerous coping styles that can be both effective or ineffective, but each consists of simultaneously accepting the effects of racism while denying the White institutions and productions that promote racism.