Feeling Invisible and Unheard: A Qualitative Exploration of Gendered-Racist Stereotypes Influence on Sexual Decision Making and Mistreatment of Black Teen Girls

Abstract

Gendered racism can impact how Black teen girls perceive themselves in relation to the world and influence their behaviors. This form of discrimination tends to manifest in stereotypes that promote the victimization and mistreatment of Black teen girls. This qualitative study, using Black feminist thought through a Black Girlhood lens as a guiding framework, aims to understand how Black teen girls are affected by gendered-racist stereotypes and how these stereotypes impact sexual decision making among this group. Using a sample of ( N = 27) Black teen girls, three major themes arose: (1) experiencing the effects of racist-sexist stereotypes, (2) feeling powerless and invisible due to stereotypes, and (3) navigating the pressure to have sex due to stereotypes. Implications for this study include incorporating elements of Black Feminist Thought through a Black girlhood lens within prevention programing while also providing Black teen girls with the tools to challenge negative stereotypes with support from adult allies in school and family settings.

Pilot-testing a Multiplayer HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention Video Game Intervention for Black Adolescent Girls: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Participants randomized into the intervention condition attended live Zoom sessions with up to 4 other intervention participants and a researcher, who facilitated gameplay of the multiplayer intervention video game, InvestiDate . The design and story content of the intervention video game was based on information the research team gathered through focus groups with 27 Black adolescent girls in which participants discussed their experiences with sex, dating, the use of social media to inform partner selection, and participants’ experiences of gendered-racist stereotypes and how these experiences influenced their own sexual decision-making [ 32 , 33 ]. In addition, 7 participants from the focus groups further volunteered to guide the development of the video game by forming a Board of Advisors that oversaw the writing of game dialogue and creation of character storylines, as well as provided feedback on character art and design.…”

“…In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts to recruit groups of Black adolescent girls to gather in person for multiple gameplay sessions were stymied. Thus, rather than continue to delay data collection, the research team used their extensive experience working with youth and decided to pivot to web-based data collection by following a model previously found successful in the collection of focus group data that served as the foundation for the development of this study’s video game intervention [ 32 , 33 ]. This decision was made with knowledge from conducting numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with schools and informed by processes that we developed to accommodate remote data collection.…”

Black Girl Well-Being: A Scoping Review of Culturally and Gender Responsive Interventions

“…Oftentimes verbal and physical sexual harassment from classmates is dismissed or minimized by the teacher and school administrators because of the proliferation of the controlling image of Black girls generally being promiscuous (2020; Tonnesen, 2013). Black girls may internalize this controlling image which may influence the likelihood of them engaging in risky sexual behaviors (Opara et al, 2022) which increases the need for culturally responsive sexual health interventions for Black adolescent girls (Dorsey et al, 2022a). The media often plays a large role in perpetuating negative stereotypes regarding Black women during adolescence (Ward et al, 2005) and the awareness of negative stereotypes has detrimental consequences for Black women's health and well-being later in development (Jerald et al, 2017).…”

“…For example, gendered racism focuses particularly on how racial and gender oppression combine to create a marginalized status for those who hold identities that are not valued within society, which in the case of this study are Black adolescent girls (Essed, 1991). Oftentimes, racist and sexist stereotypes are used as an action of gendered racism against Black adolescent girls, which often results in feelings of powerlessness and invisibility as to who these youth truly are (Opara et al, 2022). These negative stereotypes, which originate from the traumatic practice of chattel slavery in the United States, often result in Black girls' internalization of negative, demeaning, and controlling images, sometimes leading to the adultification and oversexualization of Black adolescent girls (Epstein et al, 2017;Morris, 2016).…”

“…Despite their unique contextual experiences, Black girls are rarely centered in research and theory-building models for evidence-based practice specifically focused on adolescent development (Rogers & Butler-Barnes, 2022). There is research that explores the sexual harassment experiences of Black adolescent girls (2020) and research that explores their perceptions of gendered and racist stereotypes regarding decision-making (Opara et al, 2022). However, there is little research on interventions that focus on both the culturally responsive and gender-responsive needs of Black adolescent girls with the goal of identifying factors that protect the mental health and well-being of Black girls in clinical interventions (Loyd et al, 2022).…”