Ain't That a B***ch..... The Great Chain of Being Part 2

The United States of America was founded with specific standards racism, classicism, and sexism. The European point of view has always be seen as the standard for morals and aesthetics ( beauty). There has been distinctions made among st Black women, Asian women, Hispanic women, and White women. When it comes to White women and Black women archetypes have been developed and continue to shape our society today even though people want to deny and act as if something isn't wrong.

Stereotypes placed upon African American women can be traced back to the 17^th century in the United States. Woman Studies Scholar Serena Miller and Barbara Omolade argued that stereotypes of Black Women as sexually unrestricted have influenced US Public Policy. Barbara Omolade suggests that the sexual stereotyping of Black Women’s bodies is rooted in colonialism. According to Omolade European male colonist’s perceived African American women’s sexuality according to their own definitions of sex, nudity, and blackness. European perceptions of sexuality of the colonized Black women enforced a disturbing doctrine that there was an obscene of a sexual code of behavior.

Great Chain of Being and True Womanhood

White society attempted to enhance racial superiority over African Americans by assessing that there is a connection between African Americans and animals. “The Great Chain of Being” was linked to Black women, philosophers, scientists, scholars, lawmakers, and physicians agreed that it was the Black Woman that attracted the sexual attention of orangutans. Founding Father and President Thomas Jefferson supported this claim; Jefferson believed that the orangutan’s desire for sexual union with Black Women was a drive to enhance the orangutan race. Jefferson believed this was logical and the “Great Chain of Being” preserved “white beauty” and “loveliness.” The circumstance of superior beauty is thought worthy of attention in the propagation of our horses, dogs, and other domestic animals; why not in that of man?”

Black women were perceived as women without morals; their lacks of moral constraints were contrasted with the images of white women who were considered the “Cult of True Womanhood.” Specific components made up the “Cult of True Womanhood” which were purity, piety, domesticity, and submissiveness four ideals white women were expected to strive for. While Black Women were stigmatized and incapable of chastity, purity, and moral virtue; this concept allowed white women in the United States an opportunity to measure their own moral status, social progress, and racial development.; This concept also allowed white men to proclaim their “white male right” to sexual freedom; white men could have unrestrained sex with black women many white men at this claimed no responsibility for their actions. This idea was justified because white society argued that these actions made by white men protected the purity and chastity of white women, with whom sex only occurred within the boundaries of marriage.

Toni's Thoughts: If you read the first part this post then you will see and understand why I wrote the second part. The information is taken from a research paper that I wrote recently. For some of the Black women that are uncomfortable with Black men with women that are not Black are justified in their contempt. Black women have been dehumanized by America and other countries around the world. I find it ironic for the White woman to be upset when she has not endured the harsh atrocities Black women  encounter on a daily basis. For many years in America the Black community has tried to re-establish the family and in all honesty it just hurts our feelings sometimes. We watched our men get beaten, lynched, and murdered and our people were taught to hate everything about themselves. It is one thing for people outside your community to judge, devalue you, and misunderstand you; but to not even have support from the men in your community does damage. This topic is controversial and I do not have all the answers and I do not speak for all Black women but I just wanted to provide some perspective. On the Black woman her full lips, hips, buttocks, is seen as unattractive and fact on the white women its beautiful and exotic.