Angry Black Woman

Angry Black Woman is a trope that black women are "sassy, ill-mannered, and tempered by nature", employing the terms "Sapphire" or "Sassy Black Woman". Researchers have claimed it to stem from racist assumptions. The Angry Black woman myth assumes that black women are aggressive.

The Angry Black Woman stereotype has not been studied to the same degree as the Mammy and Jezebel archetypes. Some scholars, e.g. Dionne Bennett and Marcyliena Morgan, suggest that the stereotype is less studied because researchers accept it as true.^[1][2]

Sapphire stereotype as source

The Angry Black woman trope arises from the Sapphire stereotype, which claimed that enslaved Black women were aggressive, dominant and masculine: "In antebellum America, the female slaves' chattel status, sex, race combined to create a complicated set of myths about Black women."^[3] Black women were involuntarily ascribed characteristics related to their identities in being Black, Woman and enslaved.

Furthermore, the exploitation of Black women was influenced by constructed perceptions. The sapphire archetype painted enslaved women as impure, strong, masculine, dominant and aggressive women who drove their children and partners away from their overbearing natures.^[3] This myth erased the realities of enslaved Black women who watched their children, partners and loved ones be sold away by slave owners. The emotions that were labeled or considered "unnecessary anger" derived from grief caused by the separation of families. Although many enslaved women were separated by loved ones, their emotions were not seen as credible or worthy of affirmation because of their social status. As a result, the grievances of Black women were often suppressed. These realities are essential in understanding the lived-experiences of Black women today.

Perpetuation and reproduction of the myth

With roots in slavery, the sapphire archetype was furthered 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 too expressive, more opinionated, harsh, have bad attitudes, loud, and generally negative and rude in nature. The 1930s radio show Amos 'n' Andy was particularly one of the first media outlets that reinforced the 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.

Relationships to other myths

The sapphire archetype coincides with the mammy and jezebel. All three of these archetypes uphold the angry black woman myth, but in different ways. With the existence of these images, Black women were characterized as caregivers, submissive, promiscuous, aggressive and arrogant.^[3] These constructed ideologies were used as a justification for the dehumanization and violence against enslaved black women. "... 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".^[3] In other words, the reality of slavery shaped how enslaved women expressed or suppressed their anger. This is still seen today. For Black women are still perceived as aggressive in the media and through interpersonal interactions.

Black feminists who challenge Angry Black Woman myth

The angry Black woman myth also shapes how others read and interpret the actions of Black women. There are various sources, platforms and mediums that Black women use to shed light on the impact of the myth. A number of Black women provide insight on how the myth is reinforced in the media, social spaces and interpersonal interactions. Furthermore, Black women whether if it's through activism, academia, art, dance, or writing validate, affirm their rage. They do so by explaining and debunking the myth and explaining their anger.

Portrayals in the media

• Wilhelmina Slater, a character in Ugly Betty^[4]
• Aunt Esther, a character in Sanford and Son.^[5]
• Sapphire, a character in Amos 'n' Andy.^[5]
• Lakatriona Brunson from South Beach Tow
• 'Crazy Bitch' from The Boondocks
• Cookie from Empire
• Bernadette, a character in Waiting to Exhale, performed by actress Angela Bassett.
• Madea Simmons, character in Diary of a Mad Black Woman and other Tyler Perry plays and films
• Rasputia, an obese and overbearing woman in the 2007 Eddie Murphy comedy Norbit

See also

• Diary of a Tired Black Man
• Criminal stereotype of African Americans

References

Further reading

• Davis, Kai. "Ain't I a Woman." Kai Davis Poetry. video. 2:20, Web. Accessed 20 Mar. 2017.http://www.kaidavispoetry.com/performance-videos
• Charmaine C. Williams. "The Angry Black Woman Scholar." NWSA Journal13, no. 2 (2001): 87-97.http://www.jstor.org/stable/4316815.
• Erica Chito Childs (August 2005). "Looking behind the Stereotypes of the "Angry Black Woman": An Exploration of Black Women's Responses to Interracial Relationships". Gender and Society. 19 (4): 544–561. JSTOR 30044616. doi:10.1177/0891243205276755. 
• Edna, Batengas. "Let's stop the angry black woman narrative." The Peak. November 1, 2016. Accessed March 25, 2016.
• Horton, Kennedy. "The 'angry black woman' is a false stereotype". The Maneather. Web. April 26,2017. Accessed April 27, 2017.http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2017/4/26/angry-black-woman-false-stereotype/
• Lorde, Audre (1981). "Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism". Black Past. accessed March 30, 2017. http://www.blackpast.org/1981-audre-lorde-uses-anger-women-responding-racism
• Melissa Victoria Harris-Perry (2011). Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-16554-4. 
• Vanzant, Iyanla. "The Myth Of The Angry Black Woman". September 9, 2016. Huffington Post.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iyanla-vanzant/the-myth-of-the-angry-black-woman_b_11897252.html