Whose Power? African American Girls Interpret a Sexualized Image

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

African American adolescent girls in low income urban environments are more likely than others to experience harassment, early sexual experiences, and unwanted pregnancy (Belgrave et al., 2000; Espelage et al., 2016; Limbert & Bullock, 2005). Historical and contemporary stereotypes depict African American females as promiscuous and sexually aggressive (Stephens, 2003). Exposure to such messages in popular media such as rap videos enhances African American teenage girls’ acceptance of objectifying self-images and dating violence (Bryant, 2008; Johnson et al., 1995; Ward, 2003; Ward et al., 2005). In the present study we investigated African American girls’ responses to a sexualized image. Participants included students in the 5th grade (N=7), 6th grade (N=6), and 7th grade (N= 9) in an urban charter school. Students were interviewed twice, before and after an 8-week small group intervention. In the pre- and post-interviews, girls were shown comparable photographs of a woman of color who is a popular musical celebrity. She appears in a sexualized manner on stage with an audience of mostly young white males. The participants were asked, “What do you see?”, “What do you feel?” and “What message is the picture trying to send?” Semi-structured probes elicited more information when needed. We earlier reported a quantitative analysis of participants’ answers. One-third of students simply described the image, one-half interpreted the image, and the remainder gave a negative judgment. Interestingly, the younger students (5th grade) increased their negative judgment over time, while older students (6th & 7th grade) decreased their negative judgment and offered more interpretation. For the present study two researchers used thematic analysis to qualitatively examine the students’ responses. While its procedures vary, thematic analysis involves repeated reviews of data to arrive at categories that reduce the data into meaningful groups (Attride & Stirling, 2001). The flexibility of thematic analysis makes transparency and triangulation important for trustworthiness of data representation, analysis, and interpretation (Miles & Huberman, 1984; Krefting, 1991). The themes that emerged (see Table 1) can be seen as sources of power that participants invoked when responding to the sexualized image. (1) Students referred to the power of the music industry (fans, managers, impression management, money) in explaining the celebrity’s motivation. (2) They identified the power and threat of increased male sexual interest as a consequence of publication of the image (heterosexist script). (3) They identified the power of propriety – social expectations about these matters, particularly by parents – in their reactions. (4) Students used their knowledge of the celebrity’s life story as a powerful tool to explain the image. (5). They identified their personal stance on the image and its message, in effect claiming for themselves interpretive power. These results indicate that pre-adolescent to early adolescent girls can be thoughtful about intentions and power in the creation and consequences of a published sexualized image, and can discuss their own position on such matters. Understanding how children think about media, in this case when prompted by an adult, is important for designing effective educational experiences to support media literacy.

Authors

• Ann Cale Kruger, Georgia State University
  Presenting Author

• Josephine Grant Lindsley, Georgia State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Taylor McGee, Georgia State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rebekah Pollock, Georgia State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Johari Harris, University of Virginia - Charlottesville
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joel Meyers, Georgia State University
  Non-Presenting Author