Student Submission CUNY Hunter College Spring 2025

For my final project, I created a collage that explores misogynoir is the unique form of oppression faced by Black women at the intersection of racism and sexism, particularly in online and media spaces. Through a combination of real-world images, social media posts, and advertisements, I aimed to highlight the harmful narratives and normalized violence that Black women endure in digital culture. Each piece in the collage represents a different facet of misogynoir, from the erasure and distortion of Black beauty to the mockery and dehumanization of Black femininity. This process allowed me to engage critically with the media we consume and reflect on how deeply these patterns are woven into our digital lives.

One of the most powerful moments for me was placing a tweet that called four dark-skinned Black women “roaches” simply for sitting on a porch. Michelle Obama has been labeled “manly” countless times. I realized how easy it is for the internet to strip Black women of femininity and dignity just because of our features or skin tone. Misogynoir doesn’t only exist in extreme, hateful corners of the internet. It is woven into meme culture, viral tweets, and even promotional materials for mainstream media events. I also noticed how much more criticism Black women face for things others are praised for or that go unnoticed, like wearing bonnets in public or speaking assertively at work.

My understanding of misogynoir has evolved from seeing it as an occasional problem to recognizing it as a constant presence in digital culture. It’s not just about hate, it is also about who is allowed to be seen as beautiful, soft, or human. Misogynoir functions through both overt and subtle messages, like excluding Black girls from beauty campaigns or failing to create products like foundation or sunscreen that work for our skin. I also started to see how the line between racism and sexism blurs when it comes to Black women. Our appearances are attacked, and our femininity and value aren’t just about gender or race they are about the combination of both. I’ve come to understand how colorism, featurism, and texturism are all connected to this dynamic, pushing many Black women to alter themselves or stay silent just to survive in spaces biased against them.

To address these issues, I believe we must start with education and awareness. People need to learn how to recognize misogynoir, especially when it’s disguised as humor or personal preference. Social media platforms must take more responsibility for the content they allow, particularly when it targets marginalized groups. But individual users also play a role, whether that’s by refusing to engage with misogynoir-laced content, calling it out, or amplifying the voices and work of Black women.

This project made me feel both angry and empowered angry at how accepted these forms of digital violence are but empowered by the opportunity to confront them creatively and critically. Going forward, I want to be more mindful of what I support online and more intentional about protecting and uplifting Black women. Misogynoir may thrive in silence, but I hope that by creating work like this and continuing these conversations, we can make that silence harder to come by.