Examining how various factors in society influence perceptions of Black women's sexuality in Hip Hop

Freaks, Gold Diggers, Divas & Dykes: The Socio Historical construction of Black Woman's Sexuality in Mainstream Hip Hop

Mainstream Hip Hop culture has played pivotal role in presenting meanings individuals give to adolescent African American women's sexual health experiences. However, it is important to look at how their images have been framed within a racialized and sexualized socio historical context to recognize that these are not new presentations. Rather, this is part of a long history of the sexualization of Black women. The remnants of the foundational Jezebel, Mammy, Matriarch, and Welfare Mother images of African American womanhood remain today, as exemplified by similar, yet more sexually explicit scripts that include the Freak, Gold Digger, Diva, and Dyke. This talk explores the historical development of current sexual scripts for young Black women in mainstream Hip Hop culture. The relevance of these current sexual scripts to sexual identity development, sexual risk-taking behaviors, and interpersonal relationship dynamics are also addressed.