III: Hypersexualization as a Means Into Womanhood
Stripping away their cultural identity is not the only response women of color have to being denied womanhood. Cosmetic procedures can be expensive and not everyone wants to change their features. So another response by women of color is to exaggerate their features. If they exaggerate and oversexualize their features they can utilize the male gaze to their advantage. Since the patriarchy defines womanhood through the sexual desires of men, women of color just need to oversexualize themselves to be considered desirable, beautiful, and womanly
The Clermont twins are an example of the over-sexualization of black women. Shannon and Shannade (Clermont twins) got their big break after appearing in Bad Girls Club season 14. While it’s difficult to tell in the right picture, the Clermont twins had the figure and features of a typical black girl. They had big lips and a curvy body for their physique. However, after the show, the twins went under the knife and exaggerated their features. It appears they got lip fillers, boob enlargement, and a bbl. After all of this plastic surgery, the Clermont twins almost look unrecognizable to their former selves.
The Clermont twins now resemble a caricature of the stereotypical black women. Their new look would fall under the male gaze and its definition of womanhood. Many natural black women undergo the same sexualizing and pervasive procedure. No one but these black women know why they went under the knife. But the latent reason is to feel more womanly in their skin. Their natural existence forbids them from womanhood. So, they must sexualize themselves to be seen as a woman. If they can fit the desires of men, it can offer them a foot in the door of womanhood. It causes them dehumanization, but at least they can finally be perceived as a woman.
Even in their natural existence, women of color will play into oversexualized stereotypes to gain womanhood. For example, many east asian women are often viewed as inherently more exotic and alluring than their white counterparts. Society pushes them through the dragon lady trope. Rieken explains that the dragon lady is viewed as a hypersexual, violent, deceitful, and strong Asian woman (Rieken). They are often seen as the more desirable East Asian women by the dominant society.
While some East Asian women find no problem with this trope, it does lead to dehumanization. They are no longer given any character, personality, or soul. They are simply viewed as exaggerated strong sexual objects. So many sexualized ideas and desires are forced and pushed upon them by society, particularly men. For some women, this can help them feel more beautiful and accepted by society. It may grant them closer to womanhood through the male gaze, but it devoids them from their inner humanity. Through over-sexualization, they must sacrifice their humanity to gain acceptance into womanhood.
Latina women will also oversexualize themselves to gain access to womanhood. The spicy Latina trope started gaining popularity in the mid-2010s. The trope is often seen in many popular TV shows, films, and music. According to Valmana, the trope describes the Latina women as loud, sexy, curvy, and feisty (Valmana). Reducing them to the male gaze of what a Latina woman can be. It is often a generalizing assumption of all Latina women despite their varying personalities, appearances, and traits. But, this generalization gives them access to beauty and womanhood via the male gaze.
The spicy Latina stereotype reduces the creativity and uniqueness of Latina women. Their features and personalities are exaggerated to a point where it doesn’t seem real. They must be extra curvy, loud, and feisty to gain approval into womanhood. They can’t exist in their natural state. Similarly to the dragon lady trope, it dehumanizes them and reduces them to sexual objects. They lose their autonomy in deciding who they are as a person and as a woman. The patriarchy is now the one who controls them via the spicy Latina trope.
The exaggeration and objectification of women of color permit them access to society’s definition of womanhood. However, with this reward comes the price of dehumanization. Women of color become caricatures and stereotypes of the societal version of themselves. Any individuality they once held is reduced to sexual creatures and desires. It’s another consequence of women of color being excluded from womanhood. Again they must change themselves and their culture to fit into the dominant elite’s view of womanhood and beauty.
This over-sexualization and exaggeration do not open any dialogue on womanhood. It does not liberate them from the oppressive ideas surrounding womanhood and the patriarchy. It does nothing to challenge the hegemonic myths that have been ingrained within women of color since they were children. It’s just another anti-dialogical method to constrain the humanity of women of color. By using the method of hypersexuality, women of color sacrifice their humanity for womanhood.
References
Magazine, Strike. “Everything Wrong with the ‘Spicy Latina’ Stereotype.” Strike Magazines, Strike Magazines, 23 Oct. 2022, www.strikemagazines.com/blog-2-1/everything-wrong-with-the-spicy-latina-stereotype.
Rieken, Sarah. “Representation of Asian Women in the Media.” The Women’s Network, 25 Mar. 2022, www.thewomens.network/blog/representation-of-asian-women-in-the-media.