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The Jezebel Stereotype, Sexual Identity and Sexual Objectification of African-American Women in Sharing Sexual-Related Social Media Content: A Muted Group Theory and Black Feminist Theory Analysis

Byron Jamal Keys

Ph.D. Student

Journalism and Media

46^th Annual CCI Research Symposium

STUDENT RESEARCH STARS

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Components

3. Muted Group Theory

2. Black Feminists Theory

1. Jezebel Stereotype

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Sapphires

Jezebel

Mammy

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MINSTREL SHOWS

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Black�Feminist�Theory

Feminist Theory

Feminism is a political and an intellectual project, a movement for social justice and equality as well as a means of theory development (Benschop and Verloo, 2016; Calás and Smircich, 2014).

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Black Feminist Theory

Black feminist theory (BFT) centers Black women’s particular needs and experiences within the context of social injustice and challenges Black women’s subordination due to intersecting oppressions (i.e., racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and transphobia) through individual and collective resistance (Collins, 2004).

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MUTED GROUP THEORY

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Muted Group Theory

The idea of Muted Group Theory was developed by Edwin Ardener, a social anthropologist at Oxford University in the 1970s. In "Belief and the Problem of Women", Ardener concluded that researchers claimed to only understand a society based on information from findings of the male population.

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African Americans

Elderly and Disabled

LBGTQ+ COMMUNITY

Women

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Where am I going with this?

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Going Forward

I Plan to conduct a Photo Voice Social Media Qualitative Study
I hope to learn whether African-American women are embracing being objectified, considered hypersexual, and not exemplifying feministic norms on social media by others as well as themselves. Or succumbing to the hostility and negative opinions that they receive
Regarding the women who embrace this behavior on social media, I hope to understand why they embrace this behavior and how it has impacted their lives (socially, romantically, and family).
African-American women also frown upon this expression of sexual freedom openly. I hope to understand how women who fall into this category impact them as an African American woman. In this, I also hope to study the women who fall into the category, as mentioned earlier, beliefs on African American women having the right to express themselves freely, which some black feminists praise.