Sexy Dimes/Sexist Tools – Student Writers’ Corner

Black feminism aims to negotiate a space whereby both sexes can explore the entanglements of race, sexuality, class and gender. In doing so, black feminist structures combat the sexist implications embedded in societal constructions of gender. Despite its homology to racism and other forms of injustice, sexism is viewed as a factor of minimal importance in black consciousness.

These explanations are fundamentally valid, however, they suggest that Black women live in denial of the sway of sexism and in ignorance of the power of patriarchy. I suggest that Black women are acutely aware of these structures and adopt the sexist and patriarchal paradigms as coping mechanisms. We dismiss the possibility that black males, who have historically been subjects of white patriarchy, will fully divest themselves of their newfound patriarchal entitlement. As such, we ally ourselves with black patriarchal privilege by accepting sexist institutions, attempting to establish binaries between other women and ourselves and rejecting alternative paradigms of masculinity.

We accept bawdy and misogynistic depictions of women in the media — we even deem the word “ho” an accurate title for these women — after all, we are not accepting the title for ourselves and these women fit our culturally constructed notions of what constitutes a “ho” .