1. Key elements

2. Popular case studies

3. 21st century identity

4. References

The conceptual ideology of a strong black woman identifies women of color as victims of intersectionality within a patriarchal society in which they are pushed to fit the standard mold of a traditional strong black woman versus what it means to be a woman to themselves. Used interchangeably, the” Black Superwomen Syndrome” is the pressure & expectation of a woman of color to manage multiple roles of the mother, worker, homemaker, student and any other roles that usually inclusive to one person or sex. Keep in mind, this is different then a career woman because rather than sacrifice the role that supports her family in order to excel in her career, the superwoman is forced to support both the traditional Suzy Homemaker role and a career woman. This mold of being self-reliant & self-contained is damaging in a sense because if you are unable to be self-reliant (i.e. needing extra help with the electric bill) and/or self-contained (i.e. feeling overwhelmed by the extra workload but being proud of being trusted to perform well under pressure) then culturally you aren’t a true strong black woman and you aren’t to be depended on. This arrangement of social paradoxes creates a deadly environment that is damned if you, damned if you don’t stigma for black women across the diaspora. Historical this stigma is what held black families together because of the systemic lack of strong balanced male authority is the same thing that is killing our women. When a woman has no choice to be strong all the time without a chance to breathe, anything that isn’t related to fulfilling all the roles that are needed are suppressed such as sadness or pain because of its deemed weakness.

Key elements

This standard mold is examined in studies produced by Nami.org, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing & Center of Disease Control and Prevention^[1] off the basis of three key elements: (i) ability to propel the family to succeed despite limited resources, (ii) ability to resist being vulnerable or dependent, and (iii) the obligation to manifest strength regardless of situation. While each one of these studies are situationally different in terms of how important each one of these elements are for each other of these study participants to achieve these traditional standards, one thing remains constant. The cognitive dissonance between the “real woman” verses the “ideal woman" consequently causes strain on their interpersonal relationship with significant other, extended families, and their immediate community as a whole. In the contemporary spectrum of this complex. Cultural acceptance and obedience no matter what the time period in contemporary America gives these women a bound element of opposition and adversity. So even when the stress is relieved and the woman in question is no longer in the stressful situation, the health dipartites related to carrying all that stress psychological can still manifest into risk factors such as “exhaustion, impaired judgment, hypervigilance (leading to exhaustion and impaired judgment!), glucose intolerance, (precursor to diabetes); fat and sugar overload and ultimate mismanagement (leading to obesity, diabetes and heart disorder); an over stimulated cardiovascular (CV) system correlates to stiffening of the arterial system, and plaque build-up along arterial walls”^[2][3]

Popular case studies

Within academia, numerous studies have been launched to figure out one simple question:

Why are black women so oppressed within their communities and how can we create a healthy psychological environment for black women within the 21st century?"

One study that studied this issue is “African American Women’s Beliefs About Mental Illness, Stigma and Preferred Coping behaviors” By Earlise C. Ward & Susan M. Heidrich.^[4] Within this study both Ward & Heidrich examined black women’ representations/beliefs about mental illness (i.e. depression/anxiety), if they felt any stigma associated with seeking treatment for said mental illness and if these perceptions differed by age group.

This study was from 2005-2006 with 185 women all across America. These women were placed within 3 groups: 25–45 years old (young), 46–65 years old (middle-aged), and 66–85 years old (old) and were tested. Based on the spectrum that were presented in the previous paragraph, results indicated that within these 3 groups a couple of different factors, including family related stress, social stress because of racism and sexism within the African-American community in stimultiously created serious consequences that are recurrent and generational. These same participants affirmed high levels of stigma across the board and age differences towards those 3 stressors were found to have all variables except stigma. Ward & Heidrich found that mental illness in the African American community was associated with the stigma of shame, doubt and embarrassment within both the affected individual and that individual’s family, in which they hid the illness in response of this illness becoming public. Case in point, one of the participants in this same study was recorded in saying “I made the mistake of telling my best friend. He said, ‘you're crazy? Oh my God, I can't believe it. Get away from me. You're dangerous” This quote is just one example of showcasing the different reactions that occur when black women express their mental well-being to their peers. With these results within this study proves one point, as long as weak mental health or state of mind is deemed within this community as a deformity no progress can be made.

Another study that examined this issue was “Superwoman Schema: Using Structural Equation Modeling to Investigate Measurement Invariance in A Questionnaire”^[5] (2013) and was created by Dr. Teneka C. Steed. In this study they used structural equation modeling techniques to factor cultural social structures within the black woman and the invariances related when these women either refuse or seek relief from these same rigid social structures. According to UNCG.edu, the Superwomen Schema represents the characteristics of a superwoman packaged into five subscales: “obligation to present an image of strength, obligation to suppress emotions, resistance to being vulnerable, intense motivation to succeed, and obligation to help others”. These subscales are examined between a group of young (18–39 years old) women and middle-aged (40–65 years old) women. These two groups were created from 48 women that all hailed from southeast America and were surveyed in private rooms within open community locations (i.e. public libraries). The results from this study were similar to the Ward & Heidrich study, in which “The SWS conceptual framework suggests that socio-historical factors (i.e., racial and gender stereotyping or oppression) may result in emotional suppression, determination to achieve goals despite limited resources, and limited prioritization of self-care”. The younger women tested higher when it came to obligation to suppress emotions, resistance to being vulnerable and intense motivation to succeed while the middle-aged women scored higher in obligation to present an image of strength and obligation to help others. With these results, Dr. Steed concluded that both groups of the younger and middle aged women in her study similarly agreed in responses that no matter the subject, black women as a whole cynically take on way too many roles and/or responsibilities especially when there were already overworked or overwhelmed and feels obligated despite the circumstances to take care of others. While on the other hand, routinely neglecting their own needs and gratifications or even feeling guilty when they would take out some time for themselves.

21st century identity

In the 21st century, Black Women are using the internet in order to deconstruct the controlled image of what it means to be a strong black woman. The concept of “controlling images,” discussed on “You have to Show Strength”^[6] by Patricia Hill Collins, explores the control of the pop culture on confining Black womanhood to negative stereotypes. She writes that “[the] dominant ideology of the slave era fostered the creation of several interrelated, socially constructed controlling images of Black womanhood, each reflecting the dominant group’s interest in maintaining Black women’s subordination”.

Maxine Waters stated that "I am a strong black woman and I cannot be intimidated" in reference to disparaging comments about her appearance used by Bill' O'Reilly. Her interview with MSNBC indicates this term as a polysemy within the black community.

References

• Strange Fire
• Strange Fire (Indigo Girls album)
• Strange Friends
• Strange Fruit (2004 film)
• Strange Fruit (film)
• Strange Fruit (novel)
• Strange Fruits
• Strange Fruit (Trijntje Oosterhuis album)
• Strange Girls
• Strange Glacier
• Strange Glue (song)
• Strange Hexes
• Strange Highways (novel)
• Strange Illusion
• Strange in Stereo
• Strange Invaders (2002 film)
• Strange Is This World
• Strange Journey
• Strange Journey Volume One
• Strange Journey Volume Two
• Strange Justice
• Strange Killings
• Strangeland: Seven Sins
• Strangeland (single)
• Strangelet