Black Macho Myth Of The Superwoman Analysis

Introduction
The book: Black Macho And The Myth Of The Superwoman was written by Michele Wallace in 1979. Wallace (1979) posits that Black women were excluded from the rhetoric of The Civil Rights Movement and rejected by Black men for their perceived benefits during slavery. The writer details her experiences growing up in Harlem, New York as a Black middle-class woman, and how they motivated her to become a Black feminist and advocate for civil rights. She condemns Black men and The Civil Rights Movement for validating the White man’s imposed image of masculinity. At the same time, she debunks the stereotype of the incredibly resilient Black woman that Black women quietly accept. In her assertions, Black men and women have accepted ideals

Her mother, being an artist and college professor had high expectations and insisted that she pursue a career. However, she rebelled and they both agreed that she be sent to a home for delinquent girls. Though distinctly different the girls in age and familial background, it was here that she had a revelatory experience and decided to become a feminist. This is because she had a fairly privileged background and this experience exposed her to girls who were in significantly disadvantaged circumstances. Their stories, she felt, were the indirect result of the oppression of Black women at that time. Wallace (1979)

For a long time, “the Negro women have been alone and unprotected, not only socially but psychologically as well… It is not the frigidity; it is the rigidity” (Wallace, 1979, p. 153). Black women are thought to have strength, resilience, intolerance with no fears and insecurities like any other woman. They are not allowed to be soft and dainty like White women. She is strong, she is fierce, she is Mother Africa. This phenomenon has led to serious problematic implications for Black women. As Wallace claims, it is not beneficial for Black women to make them feel they are invincible and unsusceptible to the dangers of the world. It is an injustice rather, to perpetuate the stereotype as being weak is the key to becoming strong.
Black Male/Female Relationships
Wallace states that Black men have an affinity for White women, that has resulted out Wallace (1979) states that there has been a breakdown in Black male and female relationships due to a