Let the Girls Be Girls: Locating the Black Tomboy in Hip Hop Culture

• In Event: Black Women and Hip Hop

Abstract

Hearing and seeing the word tomboy typically renders a variety of visual representations closely related to adolescence and/or fashion. While tomboy “phases” and aesthetics have secured representations in academia and in mainstream American culture, little attention has been given to Black tomboys and the space they occupy in the media, specifically in Hip Hop culture. Hip hop culture has housed multiple tomboys in artists, media personalities, actors, etc. This paper will interrogate that space through a close analysis of some of the occupants of it (e.g. Aaliyah, Left-Eye, Missy Elliott, etc.). Through an analysis of media interviews, lyrics, fashion, photographs and music videos, this paper will address questions of gender expression, sexuality and desirability in what is seen as a male-dominated and heteronormative culture. Tomboys embody an androgynous presence internally and/or externally. What does this mean for tomboys in Hip Hop? Do tomboys have to negotiate their presence? Does the space have to be negotiate by those who are further on either side of the spectrum (i.e. those who are more masculine in their presentation, more feminine, etc.)? If so, what does this add to discussions surrounding the desires of the culture? Through these questions, this paper will engage the broader implications of conceptualizations of race, gender and sexuality in Hip Hop culture and the Black community.

Author

• Saidah K. Isoke, The Ohio State University