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Can Our Hyper-Religious Culture Explain Why Black Women Are Considered Masculine?
Just like god is never checked whenever he fails to come through or answer our prayers, men in our culture aren’t checked for how they treat women.
As a black girl who existed in a hyper-religious culture I was reared from young to be ashamed of being born female because it was supposedly my duty to protect men from harming me, plus worship and praise a male god who was sitting up in heaven watching the drama unfold and never intervening. This meant that as a child I was solely responsible for any sexual advances men made towards me and I was blamed for their behavior as well.
Just like god is never checked whenever he fails to come through or answer our prayers, men in our culture aren’t checked for how they treat women.
As a result, I wasn’t allowed to paint my nails, wear jewelry, pierce my ears, or wear clothes like shorts, halter tops, or short skirts. I ran on stress because I was hyper-vigilant when it came to the attention I received from men, since I knew my femininity was going to be blamed for the traumas they left me with.
I will never forget the evening when I was walking home after a long day of work. I was in my freshman year of college. As I was heading towards my street a guy pulled up to me in a red sports car. He…
