Success Is Not Freedom: a brief analysis of Misogynoir at the top
Over the years we’ve seen a rise in Black women dominating various industries from sports, to politics to even the beauty industry. This is a step forward for us all, one that would’ve been marked down as nearly impossible 20 or 40 years ago.
Despite these huge milestones, Black Women in top positions still experience levels of oppression, racism and misogyny, all being attempts to undermine their abilities and achievements. It’s difficult having to overcome these two major factors that has withheld the freedom and rights of many Black Women for years.
Dianne Abbot, the first Black woman elected to UK Parliament.
‘Whether at the top or bottom of your field, Misogynoir does not care’
Misogynoir (n.) : misoginy directed towards Black women in which both race and gender are at play.
Female representation within politics is at a very low number. Women are sometimes classed as being incompetent within their roles, deemed as a less powerful figure within the system therefore their views and opinions are often times disregarded.
Dianne Abbot was the first Black woman to be elected to parliament and ahead of the last UK election she received 45 percent of all abusive tweets directed at female members of parilaiment (MPs). This still shows thus proving that Black people, particularly Black women are still being labelled, marginalised and prejudiced against.
In a 2017 article for the Guardian, Dianne described her experience as one of the UK’s first black MPs, highlighting the level of abuse she received on social media.
“I went into politics to create space for women and other groups who have historically been treated unfairly,” she wrote. “Once, the pushback was against the actual arguments for equality and social justice. Now the pushback is the politics of personal destruction. This is doubly effective for opponents of social progress. Not only does it tend to marginalise the female ‘offender’, but other women look at how those of us in the public space are treated and think twice about speaking up publicly, let alone getting involved in political activity.”
In one of her interviews with Owen Jones she mentioned how she often handles the constant sexist and racist comments she receives. Dianne’s strong support system continually push her to strive forward and her strong belief in fighting against racial and social injustice has carried her through.
When Black women do speak out against issues of misogynoir, we’re often times labelled as being paranoid, angry without justified causes and trying to “play” victimhood. This approach is not only morally unjust but also damaging as it’s sadly an incredibly common way accusations of prejudice are dealt with. And it goes without saying that it’s always the same rhetoric being played out repeatedly about how Black Women are being perceived. This subject-matter is becoming all too familiar now.
The media doesn’t make things any better either, they revel and feed on stories that purposefully depicts a negative portrayal of black men and women, reinforcing these negative stereotypes. The media have their own agendas and they know exactly what they’re doing. They create a distorted narrative, poisoning people’s minds and perceptions and more often than not people fall for it.
One would assume that in today’s modernised society, that there would be far more individuals with some sense of moral intelligence and justice who aren’t so ignorant in upholding prejudiced or discriminatory views. But instead we’re still burdened with having to fight against a problem that should’ve been an issue of the past, in order to avoid a repeat of the brutalities many Black Women faced for years.
Success In The Face of Discrimination
What really gets to me is knowing that a lot of these women have worked extremely hard all their lives and sacrificed so much to enter these new spaces, only for some to reach top positions and constantly get challenged and scrutinised. It brings about a feeling of lack of acceptance, “not belonging,” or this idea that they don’t deserve to be there. It creates such hostile environments, that aren’t so welcoming. This should not be the case at all, as it undervalues the competencies of these women. Taking into consideration that they do have the required skills, capabilities, intelligence and experiences to get a seat at the table.
We see similar ongoing cases with the likes of Serena Williams and South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya. Who again and again continue to break records, yet are constantly victimised. Serena has always shown relentless strength and determination throughout her years. Having recently had her first child and almost losing her own life, she deserves huge credits for what she has done for Black athletes and women in sports as a whole. I applaud her courage to stand up for her rights and stand against the double standards that has been prevalent within the sport.
At the end of it all, when you look back at these women’s great achievements. They’re not just public figures we see on TV, they are mothers, sisters, friends and most importantly human beings with feelings. Society tends to discard the importance of looking at a person through the lens of humanity when they’re Black and a woman or deciding to put away their sense of morality that believes in treating everyone equally and fairly. These women have continued to ensure that they maintain their integrity; not backing down to societal standards and paving the way for those behind them.
