#hypersexualization

Okay, on a very fundamental level I *need* people to be able to articulate and understand the difference between "theyfab" and "shemale". I know that you know there's a difference, and I refuse you believe that you straightforwardly, non-maliciously consider these two terms to be equivalent and identical.

Often, people who engage in hypersexualization might use sexual activity to mask feelings of emptiness or to distract from painful memories. The behavior can sometimes be tied to the fawn response. This is where individuals seek to please others or maintain affection through physical intimacy.

The Hypersexualization of Black Women: A Garveyite Perspective

The hypersexualization of Black women is a destructive remnant of colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy that continues to undermine their humanity, agency, and dignity. From a Marcus Garvey-inspired lens, this issue is not just a personal or cultural problem—it is a deliberate tool of systemic oppression designed to weaken the collective power and unity of the Black community. However, addressing this issue also requires introspection within the Black community itself, acknowledging how some behaviours or dynamics may contribute to perpetuating the problem. The solution lies in reclaiming identity, fostering unity, and empowering Black women as leaders, creators, and visionaries.

What is Hypersexualization?

Hypersexualization reduces Black women to their physical attributes and sexual desirability, denying them their complexity, intellect, and humanity. This phenomenon is deeply tied to the legacy of slavery, where Black women were dehumanized, fetishized, and portrayed as inherently promiscuous to justify exploitation. Today, it manifests in media, culture, and interpersonal relationships, perpetuating harmful stereotypes that harm both Black women and the broader Black community.

Examples of Hypersexualization

1. Historical Roots

The "Jezebel" stereotype framed Black women as hypersexual and immoral, legitimizing their abuse during slavery.

Black women’s bodies were commodified and fetishized, laying the foundation for centuries of objectification.

2. Media Representation

Music, film, and advertising often portray Black women as overly sexualized characters, prioritizing physicality over complexity or intelligence.

Even in Black-centered media, hypersexualization is sometimes glorified as empowerment, blurring the lines between liberation and exploitation.

3. Fetishization

Black women are often reduced to their physical features, such as their curves or skin tone, and are objectified in relationships and interactions.

4. Policing of Black Girls

Black girls are often treated as older and more "adult" than their peers, resulting in harsher discipline in schools and societal oversexualization from a young age.

How Black Women May Contribute to the Problem

1. Internalization of Stereotypes

Generational trauma and societal pressure can lead some Black women to internalize hypersexualized portrayals of themselves, believing they must conform to these images to be valued or accepted.

Media and social media platforms reward hypersexualized portrayals of Black women, sometimes encouraging them to lean into these harmful stereotypes for visibility and profit.

2. Perpetuation of "Empowerment" Narratives

While body positivity and sexual liberation are valid movements, they are sometimes co-opted into narratives that equate empowerment solely with physical or sexual appeal.

The line between embracing sexuality and reinforcing exploitative portrayals can become blurred, unintentionally reinforcing stereotypes.

3. Lack of Accountability in Community Dynamics

In some cases, unhealthy dynamics within the Black community (e.g., competition between women, or a focus on physical validation over substance) can perpetuate these narratives.

Celebrating hypersexualized portrayals in music, fashion, or social spaces without critically examining their impact also contributes to the cycle.

Why This is a Problem

1. Dehumanization

Hypersexualization denies Black women their full humanity, reducing them to objects for sexual gratification or commodification.

2. Erosion of Self-Worth

Internalized stereotypes can lead to struggles with self-esteem and mental health, perpetuating cycles of exploitation and harm.

3. Fragmentation of the Black Community

The overemphasis on Black women’s sexuality distracts from their leadership, intelligence, and creativity, weakening collective power.

4. Barriers to Progress

By focusing on hypersexualized narratives, Black women face greater challenges in achieving positions of power, respect, and influence in various spheres of life.

How to Solve It: A Garveyite Approach

From a Garveyite perspective, combating hypersexualization requires addressing both external systems of oppression and internal contributions to the problem.

1. Reclaim Identity

Promote Positive Representation: Black women must celebrate and be celebrated as leaders, thinkers, and visionaries in media, education, and art.

Educate About History: Understanding how stereotypes were created helps dismantle them, rebuilding pride and rejecting harmful narratives.

2. Educate on Self-Worth

Challenge Internalized Stereotypes: Encourage self-reflection and community dialogue about the impact of perpetuating harmful portrayals.

Redefine Empowerment: Emphasize that true empowerment comes from self-respect, leadership, and purpose, not external validation.

3. Shift Cultural Narratives

Accountability in Media: Hold creators and influencers accountable for the narratives they promote, ensuring they uplift rather than objectify Black women.

Promote Wholesome Content: Support media, music, and art that depict Black women as multi-dimensional, celebrating their intellect, creativity, and strength.

4. Foster Unity in the Black Community

Address Misogyny: Call out misogyny and hypersexualization within the Black community, promoting respect and accountability.

Encourage Solidarity Among Black Women: Build sisterhood and collaboration over competition, focusing on mutual support and empowerment.

5. Teach Pan-Africanism and Self-Determination

Global Black Womanhood: Emphasize the strength, beauty, and leadership of Black women across the diaspora, rejecting Eurocentric ideals of beauty and femininity.

Invest in Black Women: Support educational, entrepreneurial, and leadership initiatives for Black women to ensure their empowerment on all fronts.

Final Thoughts

I’ve realized how much more attracted to other women I am when they look like myself, and when they are not performing femininity. It’s really given me a new perspective on what I actually want to see when it comes to depictions of women in the media, and why there always felt like there was, subliminally, something off when I compared them to other male characters. They are, by comparison, so archetypal, so stripped of their humanity. And I never understood why I was so attracted to women in books and in friendships where we were dressed down and vulnerable, but seeing what men and even other women would call attractive in females (heels, shaven everything, makeup and curls, tight dresses, that “seductive” and coy demeanor void of individual personhood) always made my stomach feel knotted. It made me doubt that my attraction in other women was even real.

To clarify, in general, straight white American women making pop are not my thing, but Sabrina Carpenter is on another level. This is not a criticism of her as a person, but of her as a product, mind you, and I'm going to try to make a constructive criticism, so if anyone responds to me, please do so with respect.

I find it absurd that feminism and human identity in general are all about revolution, social change, and looking beyond capitalism and consumerism, and now Carpenter comes along to hypersexualize herself with an aesthetic that includes pastel colors (including the horrible baby blue, which many people might think I'm exaggerating, but the idea of ​​sexualizing herself with a color traditionally associated with childhood gives me the creeps), pretty, generally "adorable" things, plus perfect hair removal, makeup, and all that. I'm not saying that makeup is bad and that in general it's bad to have a certain self-expression of image, but in this case all of this is encompassed within an aesthetic of "Oh, I'm just a girl, my boyfriend is a bad boy but I'm not going to leave him, long live makeup and consumerism, I'm blonde and American."

I find it very unpleasant and as much as that "I'm just a girl" thing was created by girls as a way of claiming that women can be traditionally feminine without being a vase, as opposed to the idea of ​​a super aggressive "girl boss" that, well, basically rewarded women who had traditionally masculine characteristics, I think it's gotten out of hand and I feel that, although the album may have a deeper intention and all that, the message that all of this aesthetic conveys is that life is much easier if you don't think and look for a hegemonic man and that worries me a lot.

For example, in the espresso video, all the girls are the same, with the same bodies, equally shaved, and they give their perfect boyfriends their credit cards to fill them with whims and that turns my stomach.