Sassy black woman

Angry Black Woman is a trope that Black woman are “sassy, ill-mannered, and tempered by nature", employing the terms "Sapphire" or "Sassy Black Woman". Researchers have claimed it to stem from racist assumptions. The Angry Black woman myth assumes that Black women are aggressive.

The Angry Black Woman stereotype has not been studied to the same degree as the Mammy and Jezebel archetypes. Some scholars, e.g. Dionne Bennett and Marcyliena Morgan, suggest that the stereotype is less studied because researchers accept it as true.

The Angry Black woman trope arises from the Sapphire stereotype, which claimed that enslaved Black women were aggressive, dominant and masculine: “In antebellum America, the female slaves’ chattel status, sex, race combined to create a complicated set of myths about Black women.” Black women were involuntarily ascribed characteristics related to their identities in being Black, Woman and enslaved.

Furthermore, the exploitation of Black women was influenced by constructed perceptions. The sapphire archetype painted enslaved woman as impure, strong, masculine, dominant and aggressive women who drove their children and partners away from their overbearing natures. This myth erased the realities of enslaved Black women who watched their children, partners and loved ones be sold away by slave owners. The emotions that were labeled or considered “unnecessary anger” derived from grief caused by the separation of families. Although many enslaved women were separated by loved ones, their emotions were not seen as credible or worthy of affirmation because of their social status. As a result, the grievances of Black women were often suppressed. These realities are essential in understanding the lived-experiences of Black women today.

With roots in slavery, the sapphire archetype was furthered replicated in films, shows and literature by the early 1930s. Through these media and social platforms the stereotype was cultivated and sustained . Black women were perceived to be too expressive, more opinionated, harsh, have bad attitudes, loud, and generally negative and rude in nature. The 1930s radio show Amos 'n' Andy  was particularly one of the first media outlets that reinforced the stereotype. In this production two white men voiced Black characters. Among those characters were Black women. The narrative of anger, assertiveness and frequent emasculation was echoed with characters such as Aunt Estherfrom Sanford and Son and Pam from Martin.

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Wikipedia