Girl Fights and the Online Media Construction of Black Female Violence and Sexuality

Abstract

This article uses content analysis to examine the media construction of violence and sexuality among young Black, White, and Latina women who fight on WorldStarHipHop.com. I explore symbolic themes derived from the construction of violence through physical fighting. Findings suggest overrepresentation of depictions of Black women as perpetrators, specifically with weapon use and amount of physical violence shown. Findings also indicate racial differences in displays of nudity. Yet, these racialized images conflict with existing codes of violence in urban Black communities. This article adds new insight into the critical discourse surrounding urban Black women and new media construction of girl violence.

Ecological Ruptures and Strain: Girls, Juvenile Justice, and Phone Removal

“…Sexting studies have provided evidence that international courts penalize female teenage sexuality harshly through laws created to punish adult sex offenders (Gong and Hoffman 2012;Hasinoff 2015). The filmed fight literature has assessed the often harsh audience reaction to girls' fights and how the harm suffered has become a source of entertainment (Carrington 2013;Hitchens 2019;Larkin and Dwyer 2016;Rhodes and Hunt 2018) that "incites and rewards girls' " violence (Carrington 2013: 1).…”