Angry Black Woman

Angry Black Woman is a derogatory term that refers to black women. It is also formulated as "Sapphire" or "Sassy Black Woman".

Contents

• Opposing views
• Portrayals in the media
• References

The Angry Black Woman trope was popularized in the 1930s radio show Amos 'n' Andy with the character Sapphire. Her nagging, assertive demeanor and frequent emasculation of her husband has been echoed with characters such as Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son and Pam from Martin. The Angry Black Woman archetype has not been studied to the same degree as the Mammy and Jezebel archetypes. Scholars Dionne Bennett and Marcyliena Morgan suggest that the stereotype is less studied because researchers accept it: "The stereotype of the angry, mean Black woman goes unnamed not because it is insignificant, but because it is considered an essential characteristic of Black femininity regardless of the other stereotypical roles the Black woman may be accused of occupying. These stereotypes are more than representations, they are representations that shape realities."

Historically the Angry Black Woman view stems from a belief that Black women are more "sassy" and expressive in persona by nature since earlier American culture depictions in movies, dance, and film beginning in the 1900s. It then cultivated into a stereotype grasping on to the belief that Black women are not only expressive, but more opinionated, harsh, have bad attitudes, are loud, and generally negative and rude in nature.However, early research studies show that this illustration on Black women was created by assumptions and manipulated research. Black women are considered "angry, sassy or assertive", without taking a look at their demographics and social issues they face. For example, disproportionate salary earnings, woman-headed-households due to mass incarceration with black men, and the overall African worldview point, differing from the European.