Race and gender stereotypes can especially help form opinions and biases for societal norms. For African American women, these stereotypes can have severe consequences on the identities of these women. Thomas, Hacker, and Hoxka quoted Stevens’s study from 1997 that wrote, “Literature that focuses specifically on identity development, self-concept, and self-esteem of African American girls and young women includes the influence of oppression and stereotypical images” (Thomas, Hacker, and Hoxka 531). By demeaning the development of the identity of African American women, stereotypes do not allow these women to be able to grow. African American women are affected by these stereotypes in the way they see themselves and how that affects the way they identify with being African American and a woman. Wilkins wrote in her article, "Black women grapple with controlling images in their daily lives, using them to make sense of their own experiences and identities" (Wilkins 175).These controlling images that Wilkins described influence the stereotypes that African Americans women are forced to deal with constantly throughout their lives on a regular basis. By having such stereotypes integrated in women as they are growing up, African American women have to deal with how these stereotypes affect how they grow up. Stereotypes affect how African American women view themselves and shape their own …show more content…
In Wilkins’s article, she wrote about the presence of other African American women causing the possibility of the interviewee to be concerned about not being “black enough” in their responses, which is a problem that many African American women face when interacting with other African American women (Wilkins 179). By having such a discomfort in being in social situations, African American women can feel disconnected to other African American women that may cause false perceptions of other African American women. Stereotypes play a crucial role in developing the stereotypes of what African American women should be like, which influences how women view other women. By having such negative images, this can cause a discord with how African American women view other African American women. Such perceptions can keep African American women divided among each