Hip-Hop’s Influence on the Identity Development of Black Female College Students: A Literature Review

Abstract

This article explores unique issues regarding the effects of hip-hop culture on the identity development of young Black female college students. Through the lenses of womanist and Black feminist perspectives, the intersecting impact of race and gender are reviewed within the context of the competing influences of hip-hop on Black female identity. Implications for college and university student development practitioners are offered, and recommendations for further research are provided.

The Misunderstood Schema of the Strong Black Woman: Exploring Its Mental Health Consequences and Coping Responses Among African American Women

“…Since the SBW schema persists through familial socialization (Abrams et al, 2014), parents of African American women need to be aware of the idealized messages they may be sending to their daughters via dialogue, modeling, and vicarious conditioning. Media also plays a role in transmitting negative media stereotypes of African American women (e.g., modern Jezebels) via music/song lyrics and videos (Henry, West, & Jackson, 2010; C. M. West, 2018).…”

Carrying the World With the Grace of a Lady and the Grit of a Warrior

“…In popular media, one of the more recognizable vehicles for the manifestation of cultural beliefs, Black women are portrayed as breadwinners and matriarchs who are able to simultaneously be strong, independent, resilient, nurturing, and selfless (Parks, 2010). Media portrayals of SBW have also been transmitted via music/song lyrics and videos, with various song lyrics promoting Black females' independence, perseverance, self-sufficiency, and self-reliance as positive aspects of the Black female persona (Brooks, 2008;Henry, West, & Jackson, 2010). In Black oral culture, song lyrics convey messages emphasizing Black women's abilities to exhibit resilience and strength when dealing with their roles/responsibilities and social injustices (Brooks, 2008;Henry et al, 2010).…”

“…Media portrayals of SBW have also been transmitted via music/song lyrics and videos, with various song lyrics promoting Black females' independence, perseverance, self-sufficiency, and self-reliance as positive aspects of the Black female persona (Brooks, 2008;Henry, West, & Jackson, 2010). In Black oral culture, song lyrics convey messages emphasizing Black women's abilities to exhibit resilience and strength when dealing with their roles/responsibilities and social injustices (Brooks, 2008;Henry et al, 2010). Moreover, women are encouraged to suppress their emotional pain and resist showing signs of vulnerability and/or weakness, thus promoting independence, resistance to vulnerability, and suppression of emotions as ideal traits of Black women.…”

The Effects of HIV/AIDS on the Retention of Black Women in College

“…conscious and unconscious verbal, nonverbal, and visual forms of insults" (Howard-Hamilton, 2003, p. 23) toward young Black women. The daily campus experiences of these women are often replete with images of hyper-sexualized young Black women, which perpetuate stereotypical notions of what it means to be both Black and female (Henry, West, & Jackson, 2010).…”

“…As environmental influences particularly weigh on the decisions made by young Black college women, the affective consequences of some decisions are often burdensome. For instance, psychosocial issues such as depression, stress, and anxiety have been identified specifically as both influences and results of risk-taking sexual behavior (Ethier, Kershaw, Lewis, Milan, Miccolai, & Ickovics, 2006;Holden, Shain, Miller, Piper, Perdue, Thurman, et al, 2008) and manifestations of incongruent representation of Black women in popular hip-hop culture (Henry, West, & Jackson, 2010).…”