Music Videos and Gender Beliefs: How Black Males Then View Black Females

Abstract

CNN provided that 73 percent of Black births are “nonmarital” and that 67 percent of those Black children live in a household where the father does not live with them. This is the reason why Black males watch more television than their white counterparts. The Sapphire image has portrayed that anger with outrage, which is why Black males find Black females to be nagging, pushy, or hostile (Garrison & Jenkins, 1986; West, 2008). The Mammy originated during slavery, and depicts Black females as black in color, fat, strong, bandanna wearing, and nurturing (Tyree, 2011; West, 1995; West, 2008). The strength of Black females has been highlighted by the SBW stereotype (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2007). Beauboeuf-Lafontant (2007) reported that Black females are seen as being strong because of the endurance Black females exert during the struggles Black females have faced. This is important because the way that men and women perceive each other is essential to their relationships with each other. The purpose of the present study is to explain the messages that Black male adolescents, more specifically Black males, receive from the media about Black women and how those messages affect perception of women.