The Jezebel Stereotype

Abstract

This paper is a part of a series of articles dedicated to the historical stereotypes existing towards African American women.
Stereotypical archetypes that has been used in the past include mammy (a southern slang term for a Black woman who were
considered the portly, asexual, and fierce caretakers), jezebel (a concept revolving around Black women who were often portrayed
as innately promiscuous, even predatory), and sapphire (Black women who are portrayed as rude, loud, malicious, stubborn, and
overbearing) (West, 1995). Unfortunately, those stereotypes have negatively affected the image of African American women in a
society and have been assimilated into the Black culture. The Jezebel’s reputation is established in the bible, as a murderer,
prostitute, and an enemy of God. A close reading of the biblical text articulates that for more than two thousand years, Jezebel has
been seen as the “bad girl of the Bible, the wickedest of women,” (Gaines, 2013). The representation of African American women as
immoral Jezebels can also be the result of cultural and environmental differences between Africans and Anglo Saxons. There is a
belief that English slave traders misinterpreted polygamy as a sign of their uncontrolled desires and their lack of coverage as
eroticism.
Keywords: Jezebel, stereotypes, racism, African American women