Female Sexuality

Last week over at Threewaystotakeit.com Seattle Washington and Slim Jackson wrote a post about Homosexuality and the Black community http://www.threewaystotakeit.com/homosexuality-black-community/ ( It was a very good post check it out). This post reminded me about a presentation I did sophomore year of college on Black sexuality. Today we'll take a look at Black Female Sexuality.

Throughout the course of American history several myths have been created about blacks. One of the most damaging myths in my mind is about Black female sexuality. For centuries the black woman has been labeled as overly sexual and loose. In Deborah White's book Ar'n't I a Woman: Female slaves in the plantation south, she pointed out that the idea that black women were "exceptionally sensual" started when the English went to Africa to buy slaves. They saw the women semi nude (due to the warm climate) and automatically assumed the women were loose. Additionally, Europeans didn't understand "African cultural traditions, so that polygamy was attributed to the Africans uncontrolled lust, tribal dances were reduced to the level of orgy..." (White p.37).

These ideas came with the English to the "new world" and went even further once slavery came to fruition in the U.S. Black women's sexuality became a regular conversation piece in the Antebellum south. There are accounts of slave masters saying they could hardly go go anywhere without a Negro woman looking at them with lust in their eyes. They also allege that force was never needed to to sample the black woman's goods as she was a Jezebel and always ready for sex; In fact, some believed the black woman manipulated them and got them into bed. (This is also in White's book)

So that's a brief history lesson on how the myths started and became a part of American culture.

Why is this relevant? I'm glad you asked. These American ideas about black sexuality have shaped and and still do heavily influence black sexuality today. Because blacks were seen as heathens, whorish, loose moral characters Blacks tried their best to disprove white America's allegations. Black people adopted extremely conservative attitudes about sexuality. This conservative\puritan mode way of life and thinking was in large part promoted by church to show whites that blacks were the opposite. Keep your skirts down and your pants up became the motto.

White mentions in her book that as a result of the stereotypes placed on black women two images emerged, Jezebel and Mammy. Church I'd like to talk to you all about Jezebel (lol j\k). the image of the black woman as Jezebel real. She is the overly sexual black woman in movies videos and sitcoms. On the TV show Girlfriends Lynn and Tony were the Jezebels. Both paraded men in and out of their life and had many lovers. In the movie Two Can Play that Game with Vivica Fox, Gabrielle Union plays a character Connie that is the Jezebel. Everything about her in the movie oozed sex and she was known for sleeping her way to the top. In Luv and Basketball Gabrielle Union's character was the girl that"sent her coochie by mail'. Bad Boys II Union's character was the sexy bait to catch the bad guys... wait side note, why is Union the Jezebel in so many of her roles? Robin Givens as Sunshine in Harlem Nights (she was the girl who had good p*ssy), Willona on Good Times, Clark in Mo Better Blues and the list goes.

After reading several books and articles on black female sexuality I started wondering whys black women's sexuality so complex?If you're sexually free the older generation and church calls you Jezebel. If you're a good wholesome girl that has decided to save yourself for marriage you're a prude and undesirable. What gives? Are we still trying to fight off the myths? Why is "sex" still a taboo topic in black households? Especially for couples or parents that have daughters

What's your take on black women and sexuality.