Not Allowed to Be Soft The Historical and Political Masculinization of Black Women

 Sophia Rabb

Dr. Harris

ENGL 2016

December 1, 2025

Not Allowed to Be Soft 

The Historical and Political Masculinization of Black Women

For centuries, Black women have been forced outside the boundaries of traditional womanhood and instead pushed into a false identity shaped by a racist society. This process of what is now called the masculinization of Black women has and still is denying Black women their femininity. From slavery to modern politics, Black women have been portrayed as physically and emotionally stronger and less delicate when compared to white women, leading to deeply rooted stereotypes that still continue today. These portrayals have appeared in books, media, politics, consumer products, and even children's entertainment, intentionally shaping generations to see Black women as ‘subhuman.’ As a result, Black women today continue to face misogynoir from all levels of society.  

One of the most popular examples of this is Michelle Obama, one of America's first ladies. Electing the first Black president was a huge milestone for the United States, with most of America in celebration when the news was announced. Still, not everyone was overjoyed, with many Americans unhappy and a sharp increase in hate crimes in the following months. But from the beginning of his campaign, his wife Michelle faced extremely racist criticism and was heavily stereotyped. Major media outlets used harmful stereotypes such as the “Angry Black Woman” and the masculine Black woman. One rumor that came out at the time was the belief that Michelle was actually a transgender woman, which earned her the nickname “Big Mike” from racist white Americans. This shows how even the most visible and accomplished Black women are not protected from these stereotypes. Figure [3] depicts a political cartoon with Michelle Obama and Melania Trump while Michelle is depicted with a masculine frame, a frown, and a bulge under her dress, Melania, a white woman, is depicted as petite and traditionally feminine with a smile. These portrayals further push the stereotype and argument that Black women are denied femininity that is granted to other women purely because of their race. It also demonstrates how these harmful stereotypes continue to shape the public eye, even at the top of our country. 

Another example of these stereotypes comes from consumers. From salt shakers to dolls, the mammy stereotype flooded stores all over the South. They even began depicting African Americans in children's cartoons. Figures [1] and [2] depict characters from children's cartoons/animations. Figure [1] depicts Mammy Two Shoes, a popular character from Tom and Jerry. She is shown as stocky and overweight with beefy arms, feeding into the masculine stereotype, along with Coal Black from the animated short Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarfs. Along with the highly offensive name she is depicted with wide shoulders, big lips, and strong legs, traits that were considered more masculine at the time. Another example would be “Scrub Me Mamma with a Boogie Beat” a cartoon short from 1941, which depicts Black women as lazy, masculine, and unintelligent, continuing the harmful stereotypes. These cartoons were not accidental or just ‘something from the times’; they were created with the intention of teaching racist lessons to white children while normalizing the belief that Black men and especially Black women were inferior to whites. By constantly representing Black women as masculine and unintelligent, these cartoons reinforced the idea that Black women were made for service and labor. These cartoons and decorations traveled through countless homes, theaters, and even schools, making it nearly impossible to avoid these harmful stereotypes and shaping children to accept a deeply racist portrayal of Black women. 

Bell Hook’s "Ain't I A Woman” provides a helpful insight into these stereotypes. Hooks explains that the reason for these stereotypes began with a need to explain why Black women were able to do work that white women had been told they were unable to do due to being inferior to men. She writes, “By forcing Black female slaves to perform the same tasks as Black male slaves, white male patriarchs were contradicting their own sexist order” (Hooks 71). To resolve this contradiction, white men labeled Black women as ‘sub-human’ creatures, stripping them of their femininity and placing them at the bottom of the social hierarchy. This also made it easier for Black men to ignore Black women's problems, as she writes, “Black men are able to dismiss the sufferings of Black women as unimportant because sexist socialization teaches them to see women as objects with no human value or worth.” (Hooks 101) This deepens the dehumanization of Black women, ensuring that even after slavery had ended they were denied the support, recognition, and femininity that should have uplifted them. 

Because these stereotypes are so deeply rooted, they continue to affect how Black women are treated by both institutions and individuals. For example, a peer-reviewed study of African American women's maternal healthcare shows that Black women are 4 to 5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than non-Hispanic white women. (Adebayo et al.) The study shows multiple reasons for this mistreatment: unequal treatment due to insurance or race and the dismissal of pain concerns under the pretext that the woman is a “strong Black woman” (Adebayo et al.). Studies like this one show how stereotypes created centuries ago are still able to affect our society. These outcomes are directly connected to racist stereotypes of Black women that have been normalized by society. 

In conclusion, the masculinization of Black women is not just a thing of the past but a prevalent issue that continues to harm our view of Black women in politics, media, and everyday life. These stereotypes were constructed intentionally throughout history to justify the inhumane treatment of Black women and exclude them from femininity. The repeated presence of these stereotypes in media, politics, cartoons, and consumer products has normalized a warped perception of Black womanhood and made it into something to be ashamed of rather than proud of. Recognizing what these stereotypes are and how they fit into our modern society is the first step to challenging them. Only by acknowledging them can people move past them and support a society where Black women are allowed to be proud of who they are without any judgement. 

   Works Cited 

                           

                    

Work Cited Cont.

Adebayo, C. T., Parcell, E. S., Mkandawire-Valhmu, L., & Olukotun, O. (2021). African American Women’s Maternal Healthcare Experiences: A Critical Race Theory perspective. Health Communication, 37(9), 1135–1146.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33601991/

hooks, bell. Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism. South End Press, 1981. PDFdownload.bell hooks: Ain't I A Woman Black Women and Feminism

Lehman, Christopher P. “Black Representation and World War II Political Concerns.” The Colored Cartoon: Black Presentation in American Animated Short Films, 19071954, University of Massachusetts Press, 2007, pp. 73–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vk5fp.10.

Adams-Bass, Valerie N., et al. “That’s Not Me I See on TV . . . : African American Youth Interpret Media Images of Black Females.” Women, Gender, and Families of Color, vol. 2, no. 1, 2014, pp. 79–100. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/womgenfamcol.2.1.0079. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.

Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat