Misogynoir And The Beauty Of Black Women Essay

Dominance. No matter how hard we try to erase it there will always be a hierarchy in the human race. No matter how hard we try to erase it white men are on top, following them, white women, black men, then black women. No matter how hard we try to erase it, the reality of a black woman’s life deals with misogyny and racism 24/7. Misogynoir is a term that was coined by the writer Moya Bailey to describe the intersection of racism and sexism that Black women face. When we talk about misogyny, we are referring to the hatred or dislike of women, which is often expressed through discrimination, objectification, and violence. When we add race into the mix, we see a specific form of oppression, where Black women are subjected to a unique set of stereotypes

While some would say they are “Blind to color” or use phrases such as “Strong black women”, they are only adding to the struggle that black women go through on a daily. In reality, misogynoir affects the mental health of black women, their way of life, and how black women are perceived in public and in the media. I, as a black woman, have experienced countless micro-aggressions from people of many different backgrounds firsthand. Unfortunately, I’ve felt the blank stares, the judgemental glances, the intense lingering side eyes on me since I was only in the third grade. Is there something in my teeth? Is there something on my face? Do I have a bug on my shoulder? Why are you looking at me? These thoughts suffocated my brain leading me to believe there was something wrong with me, more specifically my skin. Not only am I a woman, I am a black woman. Misogynoir takes a humungous toll on your mental health. Black women sometimes feel as if we aren’t valued in society or that we have to act a certain way. We feel like we have

By presenting these facts, we can make a logical case for why we need to take action to address this issue. As I’ve stated this is a pandemic for Black women all over the world. According to a study conducted by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Black domestic workers in the United States are paid 65 cents for every dollar that their white counterparts earn. This is known as the wage gap and it is a clear indication of how Black women are undervalued in our society. However, this problem goes beyond the wage gap. Black women are also more likely to experience sexual violence than any other group of women. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 43.7% of Black women in the United States have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. This is compared to 36.1% of white women. It’s scary, these statistics are alarming and they should make us pause, they should make us reflect on how we treat Black women and the experiences of Black women in our society. We as a society cannot continue to ignore the ways in which racism and sexism create an environment in which Black women are belittled and degraded. Black women are constantly underpaid, undervalued, and highly subjected to violence.