The Sound of (Black) Music: Black-Oriented Media Use and Hegemonic Gender Beliefs as Liabilities to Black Women’s Sexual Well-Being.

Abstract

Through many sources, Black women are socialized to embrace gender beliefs that emphasize passivity, selflessness, sexual appeal, and nurturance. However, endorsing these notions is consequential and may undermine their sexual agency and well-being. One prominent source of traditional gender messages are mainstream media, which young Black Americans consume at higher rates than their peers. Therefore, it is important to identify the prevalence of hegemonic gender content in media targeting Black audiences and understand whether Black women’s use of these media is related to their understandings of their personal and interpersonal sexual desires. Thus, this dissertation investigated representations of gender and sexuality in Black-oriented music and tested the association between embracing hegemonic femininity and outcomes related to experiences of sex and romantic relationships among heterosexual Black women.

Three studies are presented: 1) A content analysis investigating representations of hegemonic femininity and masculinity in Black-oriented music media; 2) Analyses of survey data testing whether exposure to these media is associated with Black women’s acceptance of heteropatriarchal relationship beliefs; and 3) Analyses exploring whether restrictive feminine beauty and body standards are associated with Black women’s experiences of sexual well-being.

Theoretical connections proposed by cultivation theory were supported. Study 1 indicated that portrayals of women in Black-oriented music increasingly emphasized their physical attractiveness and utility as sexual objects, and men were depicted as competitive, dangerous, and sex-focused. Study 2 revealed that women who frequently consumed magazines, reality television, and R&B/Hip-Hip music reported greater acceptance of heteropatriarchal relationship beliefs. Study 3 confirmed that acceptance of restrictive beauty standards was associated with greater negative sexual affect (e.g., sexual guilt, self-consciousness during sex) and lower levels of sexual agency (e.g., sexual assertiveness, satisfaction).

Together, findings indicate that restrictive gender content contained in popular media prescribe sexual norms that may jeopardize Black women’s sexual well-being. Although our findings do not permit us to firmly state that high levels of media consumption cause greater acceptance of restrictive gender beliefs that hamper sexual well-being (relations may be bidirectional), findings suggest that popular Black-oriented media should be considered as an important, but not always empowering, agent in Black women’s sexual socialization.