This document discusses how sexual identity development in African American adolescent females is influenced by rap music videos. It explores how the hypersexualized and one-dimensional portrayals of black women in many videos can create a dilemma for black girls in establishing their own identities. The document analyzes research showing that black girls often compare their bodies to the unrealistic "perfect" bodies portrayed in videos and view many rappers as reinforcing stereotypes about black female sexuality. It argues that more research is needed to understand how music videos may exploit prejudices against black women and to help black girls build resilience and a strong sense of self.

1. Sexual Identity and Music Videos A Black Girl Dilemma Sharon Thomas Argosy University

2. While sexual orientation typically refers to more stable behavioral characteristics, sexual identity is typically conceptualized as recognition, acceptance, and identification with one’s sexual preference (Mohr, 2002), such that people are able to adopt or choose the sexual identity label that best fit their experiences (Ellis & Mitchell, 2000). This review looks at how sexual identity is influenced by mass media particularly that of music videos in adolescent females. Although there is interest in the female adolescent population this review focuses specifically on African American females and how their interpretation of rap music videos is based on their understandings of their cultural norms. Abstract

3. Coveringour Identity

4. At a time when hip hop is mired in masculinity, and scholars are struggling for the soul of the movement through excavating legacies in a black nationalist past, black girls are faced with a dilemma of identifying with their sexuality because of the incessant bombardment of one dimensional images of black women in the music videos. The girls and women in the videos are reduced solely to the sum of their body parts (Oliver, et. al., 2009). This creates a dilemma for black girls who are young and impressionable struggling to find their own identity.

5. Analysis revealed that the girls, while critical of the limited range of bodies represented in the videos, also compared their own bodies with those idealized as “perfect” in the videos (Ward, et. al., 2004). In addition, the girls tended to view most male and female rappers as reifying stereotypical notions about black female sexuality and black male/female relationships.

6. African American girls who struggle with their identities the degree to which they are internalized or not, the conscious and the unconscious decisions made regarding what part of themselves to present and how they feel about themselves are all important areas of exploration in psychology. Exploration is essential if there is to be discernment of issues that are faced by this group of individuals in society. It is necessary to understand the development of self esteem in young black females as they try to identify with a culture, a race and the society in which they live. Several studies on this topic have indicated that black females’ ethnic identity, individual family, and peer factors were related to lifetime sexual issues

7. When studying the actions of persons and especially those that are still developing and maturing it is important to note that limitations will exist. It is believed that this type of study will be best suited if the participants are observed in several different contexts in order to better assess how music videos are embedded in the everyday lives of the girls. The study supported scholarship that argues that viewers are active participants in their interpretation of media test but that in some cases their interpretations support dominant ideologies. The study showed how by drawing upon factors such as race, class and culture help to appropriate those meanings in the context of the everyday lives of the girls.

8. It is an important research issue for the field of social health and psychology because through exploration of these issues light may be shed into the realm of self esteem and sexual identity development and if the music videos produced today are targeting this population as a means of exploitive prejudices against black females. Music videos have constantly driven “wild” to the next level. Video “vixens” have replaced the “divas” and the vixens take sex to another realm as well. In order that black girls develop resistance and resilience as well as a true sense of self, they will need to have strategies to build upon and research is needed to help develop these strategies so that this population is able to communicate their voice in society what- ever their sexual identity becomes. The materialization of the hip hop culture has evolved and continues to do so and many youth are has embraced it as a lifestyle (Drake, Y., 2010). Because of this it is critical for professionals in the mental health field to become more astute on how to communicate with youth and to use the social identity theory as the theoretical framework for understanding the experiences of the youth in the hip hop culture.

9. References Mohr, J. J. (2002). Heterosexual identity and the heterosexual therapist: Using identity as a framework for understanding sexual orientation issues in psychotherapy. The Counseling Psychologist, 30, 532-566. Ellis, A.L., & Mitchell, R.W., (2000). Sexual orientation. In L. Szuchman & f Muscarella (eds.) Psychological perspectives on human sexuality, New York; John Wiley & Sons. Shorter-Gooden, Kumea & Washington N. Chanell (1996) Young, Black and Female: The challenge of weaving an identity. Journal of Adolescence 19(5) 465-495 Ward, L. Monique (2004) Wading through the Stereotypes: Positive and negative Associations between media use and black adolescents’ conceptions of self. Developmental Psychology. 40(2) 284-294 Oliver, Chyann L., (2009) “Don’t Believe the Hype”: The polemics of hip hop and the Poetics of resistance and resilience in black girlhood. University of Maryland, College Park Drake, Camela Y., (2010) Phenomenological study into the Lived Experiences of Youth In the Hip Hop Culture. Capella University