Ghettoization (adj.) is the segregation/isolation of a group and the placement of that group into a figurative or literal position of little power. Using the context of black femininity, ghettoization has played a great factor in shaping perspectives, experiences, and opportunities. As soon as black women stepped foot in the Americas, they were victims of sexism and racism, playing a part in their own identity for themselves. Ghettoization and black femininity illustrate the challenges black women face and their need for social change.
In the conversation of femininity, black women, along with other women of color, have always been left out. Femininity as a whole for decades has catered around the rights of white, eurocentric women and has degraded any other forms of femininity and the aesthetics it may come with. Because of this, women with cultural backgrounds have suffered dearly historically, trying to fit Eurocentric ideas of what femininity looks like instead of being able to accept their femininity within their culture. The historical origins of ghettoization have played a part in the ideas of negative stereotypes and perceptions of black femininity.
Before we can start the discussion of black femininity it’s important that we go over its history and how its history has impacted what it is today. The American ideas of masculinity and femininity originate from European standards. Pre colonialism, Africa had little to no gender roles in homes (depending on tribe to tribe), but instead valued community and being open to many ideas of identity. It wasn’t until the white settlers landed on the continent of Africa that European culture and traditionalism were forced upon them. When Africans were forced to come to the Americas they were forced to play the part of European standards of femininity and masculinity. According to the University of Nottingham, “Ideas of “appropriate” expressions of femininity and masculinity were defined by European intellectuals of the eighteenth century, in the Western context. In the Age of Enlightenment, scientists and philosophers studied mankind with the assumption that the European able-bodied male was the standard of normality, and thus the civility of a person was determined by the extent to which they measured up to European men: physically, morally, and intellectually (Schiebinger 1990, 404).”
Because of this African women were forced to partake in the same struggles as white women at the time. Once feminism began to take a wave in the mid-1800s, white women thought it would be a good idea to use black women to help their case in why women deserve equal treatment. Although these were the same white women who did not agree that black women were equal to white women. This was only used strictly to benefit white women. Even though white women had far more rights than the average black slave woman, white women still wanted to be higher than black men and women on the hierarchy. As stated by George Yancy,
“One wonders whether Gilman had Black women in mind when she wrote her famous political treatise, Women and Economics. Even prior to Gilman's birth, however, hooks identifies hypocrisy amongst whites within the abolitionist movement. She argues that when white women reformers in the 1830s chose to work to free the slave, they were motivated by religious sentiment. They attacked slavery, not racism. The basis of their attack was moral reform. That they were not demanding social equality for Black people is an indication that they remained committed to white racist supremacy despite their anti-slavery work. While they strongly advocated an end to slavery, they never advocated a change in the racial hierarchy that allowed their caste status to be higher than that of black women or men.”
This leads to the conversation that feminism strictly supports white women and because of feminism history it is safe to make that conclusion. Yancy, George also states:
“Whiteness (racism) is shown to form the very core ideology and formation of the feminist movement. It is shown that feminism is limited in terms of its hegemonic racial epistemological standpoint vis-a-vis Black women's issues concerning pain, suffering, and self-identity. Consequently, Black women's standpoint must be understood within the framework of their own unique oppressive existential experiences and how they have created unique and positive ways of effectively combating oppression. It is shown that Black women have been able to fashion themselves through the process of self-definition and have drawn upon Black traditional sites of resistance. Womanism is shown to be a viable alternative to the myopic vision of the feminist movement.”
From the start of feminism, black women were made to be left out of women’s equal rights. Black women are black before they are a woman and feminists founded feminism on just that.
Moving on from the history of femininity, we will move onto the effects the feminist movement had on black women and how because of this era black women still suffer from stereotypes and oppression the feminist movement brought onto them. Throughout the feminist movement, it was very clearly stated that black women were still black before they were women. White women wanted their equal rights to men but they did not want to be equal to black women. Feminism needed to mean white women get equal rights to men but segregated and still socially better than black women. It meant that Black women were still not the same or as great as European women. Present-day black women still struggle with the issue and even more people have an ignorant eye to it. In the Journal of “Gender, Race and Justice”, it is quoted “Professor Kimberle Crenshaw argued that discrimination claims brought by Black women because of their unique status as Black women failed because courts viewed their experience along a "single-axis analysis that distorts" the multidimensionality of Black women's experiences at the intersection of their race, gender, and class." Being a black woman in America isn't enough to be a woman; you have to have the skin tone, mannerisms, and aesthetics.
Although, just because feminism doesn't include African American women doesn't mean that they don't have their form of femininity. From the very beginning, black women in the United States have had their very own femininity just like every other woman not of European descent. Black femininity has its own culture and aesthetic but still varies for every woman because black women are so diverse and can't be put into one box or as one. We will also discuss how the ghettoization of black women has impacted its perceptions of black femininity.
Black femininity, as mentioned above, plays a big role in the womanhood of being a black woman. Often many aesthetics created or popularized by black women get called or stereotyped as “ghetto”. Because of this, it is also why many people feel so comfortable being able to call black women ghetto because society frames all of their aesthetics into the stereotype of what ghetto is. In support of this, Nottingham University states “The term “ghetto black” was introduced by the white gaze to implicate the race-class inferiority of black Americans. The term “ghetto fabulous”, however, highlights that black people have claimed and redefined this slur.”
Ghetto fabulous is what many refer to an aesthetic created by black women. As seen in the photos below, is an example of what ghetto fabulous may look like.
Black women with long bright hair, long nails with unique designs, and chunky gold jewelry worn in bulk all play a part into the aesthetic “ghetto fabulous”. Nottingham university also explains ghetto fabulous by stating, “The ghetto fabulous aesthetic became popular in black urban- ghettos throughout the 1990s and the popularity of this dress style within the hip hop industry has been credited to black designers, Misa Hylton, Dapper Dan and April Walker, who replicated the fashion sense of lower-class black Americans through their designs, of which were then worn by black male and female rappers (Olu 2020). The ghetto fabulous aesthetic is flamboyant clothing style with distinctive features that often includes brightly coloured garments, varying amounts of luxury designer items and large-sized jewelry. The typical feminine version of the ghetto fabulous aesthetic was best epitomized by black American rapper, Lil Kim, who is known for wearing colorful wigs and revealing clothes with animal prints and fur (Kwarteng, n.d.; Jackson 2020).
Even though many people other than black women partake in the trends created/popularized by black women it is still only called ghetto when a black woman is seen in the aesthetic. Because of this, it stops black women from being able to be confident in their blackness. Black women are only socially accepted if the way they appear is closest to European feminine standards. Nottingham University goes on to state,
“Whiteness (racism) is shown to form the very core ideology and formation of the feminist movement. It is shown that feminism is limited in terms of its hegemonic racial epistemological standpoint vis-a-vis Black women's issues concerning pain, suffering, and self-identity. Consequently, Black women's standpoint must be understood within the framework of their own unique oppressive existential experiences and how they have created unique and positive ways of effectively combating oppression. It is shown that Black women have been able to fashion themselves through the process of self-definition and have drawn upon Black traditional sites of resistance.”
Due to this, many women become influenced to change the way they naturally are to be more feminine. Things like this include perming hair, wearing clothes that are more socially acceptable, changing the way they speak, and more. While white women can come as they are and still be presented as feminine women, a black woman can’t wear her hair naturally as it is because in society’s mind, her natural hair is not done, and wearing it outside is showing that she did not put much effort into her appearance that morning. This plays into the self-esteem of black women and the questioning of how seriously they will be taken as a woman. This is often a common struggle seen in the workplace and educational spaces.
A YouTube commonly known on the platform as “local black child” or “Gabby” created a video speaking on her career as a black woman. Gabby is an entrepreneur from Philadelphia and majored in accounting at one of her in-state colleges. Throughout her youtube channel we got to see Gabby dominate in a major that black women are not so commonly found in. In her “Saying goodbye…” video she discussed a time when she was discriminated against because of her appearance and the way she chose to carry herself as a woman. Anyone who knows Gabby knows that she is known for her unique colorful hairstyles, beautiful creative long nails that her best friend does for her, and the chunky gold jewelry she wears right from her clothing brand. While she was going to school for her accounting degree she was in a program called “NABA” (Nations Association of black accounting) which is an organization to help African Americans dwell in the career of accounting since it is more challenging for African americans. Gabby was excited about the program and spent time and energy shopping and looking for the part for the program. She explained throughout the program she was very engaged in the conversations, and putting a lot of effort into it. Gabby, LocalBlackChild goes on to say,
“I was eventually pulled aside by one of the marketing professionals there, well the partners of the firm. She wasn't even a marketing Professor, she was a partner at the firm and was told that I was unprofessional and so. First of all, I was taking a back cuz I'm just like how I was unprofessional and taken aback cause I’m just like, how I was unprofessional."
Throughout the video she also vocalizes her confusion on how she was professional because of the time she took to get an appropriate outfit and the effort she was putting in while she was there. Finally getting the explanation she was looking for, Gabby explains, “I'm just like I was trying hard. I don't know what I did wrong or what I did wrong. she's like it's the hair, she was like nobody in the profession is going to take you seriously if you are wearing those braids and that necklace and those earrings like that's not going to work.” It was Gabby's work ethic or the type of language she used while communicating with other people in the program that made her unprofessional, but the way she chose to protect her natural hair and accessorize is what made her unprofessional. In the end she was the winner of the program but still to this day never received the prizes that came with that program and that conversation has still affected her.
Ghettoization towards black femininity has had great impacts in all ways when it comes to black womanhood. As long as black women are seen ghetto for comfortably supporting their culture, it will impact the femininity of black women. Black women should be able to be themselves organically and not have to force themselves into European standards. It's important that we recognize femininity as a diverse idea that varies ethnic group from ethnic group. The more we begin to acknowledge that, the more more women can openly be apart of their own culture and femininity. Until then, ghettoization will impact challenges and social issues black women face everyday.