Serena Williams and the 'Angry Black Woman' Stereotype
Chapter 20 of the course reading discusses the stereotypes placed on African American women and the negative affects that they have. One of those stereotypes is the stereotype of the 'angry black woman'. This stereotypes Black women as "domineering, vociferous, and curt... serving to reinforce the ideas of black women's inherent lack of femininity and worth" (Durr & Wingfield, 2011, p.169). As a result of this stereotype, many African American women actively change their behavior in public, putting on a performance to appear less aggressive. African American women are treated unfairly. For the same action, a man would be considered masculine, a white woman would be considered strong, and a black woman would be stereotyped.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45476500
This stereotype is upheld by the media as black women in the public eye are constantly labeled. One of the most prominent examples of labeling by the media is the response to Serena Williams's reactions to the 2018 US Open referee calls. Her anger and outrage towards the calls unfairly earned her the label of an 'angry black woman'. She is not the only player to have angry outbursts, but is the only player to be treated by the media in this way. The treatment of Serena Williams shows the power of societal racism on even respected, professional women. Had Serena Williams 'performed', she may not have been discriminated against, but then she would be suppressing her true self like many professional women do to fit in. She is given the unfair option by the media and society of staying quiet or being her true self and facing the backlash of being labeled the 'angry black woman'.
Concept Reference:
Durr, M., & Harvey Wingfield, A. M. (2011). “Keep your ‘n’ in check: African American women and the interactive effects of etiquette and emotional labor.” In M. L. Andersen & P. H. Collins (Eds.), Race, class, & gender: Intersections and inequalities (pp. 169-176). Boston, MA: Cengage.
This stereotype is upheld by the media as black women in the public eye are constantly labeled. One of the most prominent examples of labeling by the media is the response to Serena Williams's reactions to the 2018 US Open referee calls. Her anger and outrage towards the calls unfairly earned her the label of an 'angry black woman'. She is not the only player to have angry outbursts, but is the only player to be treated by the media in this way. The treatment of Serena Williams shows the power of societal racism on even respected, professional women. Had Serena Williams 'performed', she may not have been discriminated against, but then she would be suppressing her true self like many professional women do to fit in. She is given the unfair option by the media and society of staying quiet or being her true self and facing the backlash of being labeled the 'angry black woman'.
Concept Reference:
Durr, M., & Harvey Wingfield, A. M. (2011). “Keep your ‘n’ in check: African American women and the interactive effects of etiquette and emotional labor.” In M. L. Andersen & P. H. Collins (Eds.), Race, class, & gender: Intersections and inequalities (pp. 169-176). Boston, MA: Cengage.
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