The role of Black men in protecting Black girls' sexual development

• Published date: 01 October 2024
• Author: Natasha Crooks,Wuraola Sosina,Alyssa Debra,Diamond Coleman,Rabiatu Barrie,Randi Singer
• Date: 01 October 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13054

RESEARCH

The role of Black men in protecting Black girls’

sexual development

Natasha Crooks | Wuraola Sosina

2

| Alyssa Debra

3

|

Diamond Coleman

4

| Rabiatu Barrie

5

| Randi Singer

1

1

College of Nursing, University of Illinois

Chicago

2

Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai 1

Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York

3

College of Medicine, University of Illinois

Chicago

4

College of Medicine, University of Illinois at

Urbana–Champaign

5

School of Public Health, University of

Maryland, College Park, MD

Correspondence

Natasha Crooks, Department of Human

Development Nursing Science College of

Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago,

845 S. Damen 60622, Chicago, IL 60607 USA.

Email: ncrooks@uic.edu

Funding information

Institute for Research on Race and Policy,

Policy and Social Engagement Fellowship at

the University of Illinois Chicago, Natasha

Crooks

Abstract

Background: Black girls in the United States are at

increased risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections

due to early sexual development, stereotyping,

adultification, and lack of protection. The Becoming a

Sexual Black Woman framework highlights protection, or

lack thereof, as a critical component of Black girls’sexual

development.

Objective: The purpose of this study was twofold. First, we

sought to understand how girls protect their bodies within

the societal context of the COVID-19 pandemic and social

injustice. Second, we aimed to explore how Black men can

better protect Black girls’sexual development.

Method: We conducted 25 in-depth interviews with Black

girls aged 9 to 18 years, primarily across the Midwestern

United States. We performed a directed content analysis

by reviewing transcripts, coding data, and developing

themes.

Results: Findings revealed four themes: (a) feeling unsafe,

(b) adultification of Black girls’bodies and increased vul-

nerability to harm, (c) desire for more protection by Black

male caregivers, and (d) needing Black men to speak up.

Conclusion: Black men’s engagement in girls’sexual devel-

opment may significantly influence the health outcomes of

Black girls and women throughout their life course.

Implications: Findings may inform future family-based

interventions that better protect and promote the sexual

health and development of Black girls.

KEYWORDS

Black girls, Black men, caregivers, development, protection, sexual health

Received: 8 May 2023 Revised: 30 January 2024 Accepted: 7 April 2024

DOI: 10.1111/fare.13054

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and

reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2024 The Author(s). Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations.

2296 Family Relations. 2024;73:2296–2314.

wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

Sexual development occurs in adolescence and encompasses the process of physical, behavioral,

cognitive, and emotional growth and transformation of an individual’s sexuality and sexual

maturation, including puberty, identity development, sociocultural influences, and

sexual behaviors (Kar et al., 2015). During this time of rapid change, numerous factors impact

behavioral and sexual outcomes for adolescents. In the United States, most children’s under-

standing of sexual development is heavily affected by messaging; however, Black girls, in partic-

ular, face unique risks due to persistent sexualized stereotyped messaging (Brown et al., 2013;

Cheeseborough et al., 2020; Crooks et al., 2019,2020). The negative stereotypes associated with

Black girls result in the hypersexualization of their bodies and facilitate the process of

adultification (Epstein et al., 2017). Adultification acknowledges how biased attitudes and

beliefs about Black girls based on their early sexual development, gender, and race influence the

lens through which society perceives them and their treatment (Burton, 2007; Epstein

et al., 2017). Epstein et al.’s (2017) survey revealed that participants perceived Black girls

needed less nurturing, protection, support, and comfort than White girls of the same age. Black

girls are also at greater risk of experiencing adverse sexual outcomes such as early sexual

engagement, sexual trauma, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV due to rapid physi-

ological changes and early menarche (Fortenberry, 2013; Haydon et al., 2011; Karapanou &

Papadimitriou, 2010; Pflieger et al., 2013; Pringle et al., 2017; Thorpe et al., 2021).

Additionally, Black girls experience violence, racism, discrimination, and stereotype messag-

ing at higher rates than their non-Black peers (Brinkman, 2018; Cheeseborough et al., 2020;

Uzogara & Jackson, 2016). Acknowledging how contextual factors (i.e., physical, social, cul-

tural, and historical) shape adolescent development is critical—specifically, how the divisive

sociopolitical context of the United States influences development. One study exploring the

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black adolescent girls’health highlighted how Black

girls’early sexual development intersected with experiences of overt racism, which created more

fear and anxiety around harm (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional) being done to girls’bodies

because they are often perceived as women attributed to adultification (Crooks et al., 2022).

Black girls have been historically undervalued and dehumanized, their bodies often ignored

and hypersexualized, further warranting their need for protection. Historical precedents

(i.e., slavery, racism) have set the stage for present-day dehumanization and over-sexualization

of Black girls and women (Roberts, 2010; White & White, 1995). Currently, Black girls experi-

ence hypervisibility and invisibility simultaneously. W. E. B. DuBois termed this paradoxical

effect double consciousness. The experiences of Black girls parallel the double consciousness

experienced by Black men, who are either ignored, hypersexualized, or criminalized. Black girls

and women must contend with the social repercussions of how both race and gender intersect.

As such, Black girls are seen as invisible regarding their place in society and inferior due to their

race and gender while simultaneously subjected to heightened social scrutiny (Meer, 2019).

Consequently, Black girls are punished and sexualized more than their White counterparts,

making them hypervisible due to double consciousness. Negative stereotypes such as the “fast-

tailed girl narrative”and the Jezebel stereotype are reinforced, validating the disregard for their

bodies and humanity (Brown et al., 2013; Cheeseborough et al., 2020; Parker, 2018). This disre-

gard burdens Black children to shoulder greater responsibility and accountability for their

safety, which is particularly challenging given the current social context.

PROTECTION AMONG BLACK FAMILIES

Families, most notably parents or guardians, initially protect adolescent development.

Families play a pivotal role in guiding youth through the tumultuous times of puberty, includ-

ing shaping a child’s self-perception and behavior (Craddock et al., 2016). The absence or lack

of parental involvement often results in adverse health outcomes. In contrast, present and

ROLE OF BLACK MEN IN PROTECTING BLACK GIRLS 2297