“Flipping the Sexual Script”: A Systematic Review of Black Girls’ and Women’s Responses to and Experiences With Sexual Stereotypes

Abstract

The prevalence of gender and race-based sexual stereotypes contributes to the sexual health disparities that young Black girls and women in the US experience. This systematic review examined young Black girls’ and women’s experiences of sexual stereotypes and its impact on their sexual behaviors. A qualitative evidence synthesis of 26 studies using a meta-ethnographic synthesis approach was utilized. Black Feminist Thought (BFT) was applied as a conceptual framework to center Black girls’ and women’s experiences. The review generated several constructs that highlighted the impact of stereotypes on sexual decision-making and behaviors: reclaiming versus rejecting stereotypes; loss of control; confront and challenge; health professional distrust and intergenerational trauma; and internalized misogynoir. A line of argument synthesis was also generated, which highlighted how this demographic sought sexual autonomy away from race-based sexual stereotypes: this was coined flipping the sexual script. The findings highlight the need for policy changes concerning sexual health and education in the US, to include policies specifically tailored to Black girls and women.

Keywords

sexual stereotypes Black feminist thought Black girls and women systematic review

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