Mysogynoir: Acknowledging the Experience of Black Womxn in Contemporary Feminism

 

By Babalwa Nomtshongwana

This article is exclusive to the Online Edition 6 (Womxn’s Month Wrap) of VARSITY.

 

We all may be familiar with feminism and its philosophy, which encourages the idea that womxn should be considered as equals to men and should be treated as such. The idea may sound noble in principle, but it is largely incognisant of the struggle of black womxn.

 

“Here’s the thing, that whole “Black women don’t need a man because that reduces their strength” thing that has become commonplace in White Feminist approaches to Black women and Black female characters in fandom is straight up paternalistic.” https://t.co/c6voTJvanN #misogynoir pic.twitter.com/PNCJe25Ubj

— stitch (she/they) (@stichomancery) August 5, 2018

Specifically, the ways in which ethnic, gender, and sexual identities intersect to make various womxn’s experiences different across the board. When looking to bring awareness and encouraging people to acknowledge oppression of any kind, it is important to recognise that there isn’t always a shared or universal experience across a grouping as big as those who identify as female-representing. A specific term that is becoming more and more prominent is that of ‘misogynoir’.

 

The term is made up of ‘misogyny’, which is commonly defined as a prejudice, or dislike of womxn, and ‘noir’, which is the French word for ‘black’. Misogynoir is a type of misogyny that is directed specifically at black womxn. This is by no means a new phenomenon, but rather, it is defining a systematic oppression that has existed for almost as long as racism and sexism. Misogynoir recognises the way in which ethnicity, gender, and race have come together to create a unique type of oppression. What makes this unique is the fact that black womxn are subjected to this oppression not only by men, but also by womxn who are not black.

 

Who needs black girls anymore? pic.twitter.com/nqiqclZ6JP

— Sexy Ass Lil Bill (@iFckWhiteGirls) October 25, 2016

At the heart of misogynoir is the very real, corrosive practice of delegitimising and devaluing the experiences and bodies of black womxn. By acknowledging that black womxn are also being oppressed by their non-black female counterparts, we allow for a discussion of the ways in which black womxn have been silenced by other groups.

 

We see misogynoir in the way a black womxn is said to “have an attitude” or is seen as a stereotypical angry black womxn when they bring awareness to the systematic oppression they suffer from all sides. We see misogynoir in mainstream media’s stereotypes of black womxn. This can mainly be seen in the hypersexualised image of black femininity or black womxn being seen as loud, sassy, strong, and independent. The use of these stereotypes are used to delegitimise black womxn’s experiences and silence them. Black womxn’s representation in mainstream media diminishes the amount of role models black womxn can potentially look up to since Hollywood has subverted black womxn’s real image with tired tropes.

 

This one right here is gross. There’s nothing wrong with black girls facial features ? pic.twitter.com/3j1w9mgCPV

— Dre ? (@dreangelolo_) August 8, 2018

Misogynoir describes a very real and very painful part of the black womxn’s experience. And whether you are a black womxn who can identify with the effects of this experience, or are an ally to black womxn who have experienced this first-hand, you will hopefully go out into the world a bit more aware of the struggle faced by a group that has often had its voice silenced or completely erased from the spaces it occupies.