Wake Up and Smell the Racism: Misogynoir is Ruining Fashion for Black Women

By: Makayla Clarissa Fredericks

The Black female has been the blueprint for many of the fashion world’s iconic moments. Their monumental contributions, however, continue to be plagued by misogynoir, and it’s getting old. 

Photo Credits: Vanity Fair -- Patrick Smith/Getty Images

From Sha’Carri Richardson’s “unprofessional” nail designs to the criticism of 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams and her physique and style over her one-in-a-million talents as a tennis player. There has always been and is still an ongoing battle between Black females and their societal acceptance amongst their non-Black counterparts. 

“Misogynoir,” a term coined by Black feminist Moya Bailey, is used to describe the “...unique, consistent, and most of all, negative ways that Black women were portrayed over time and across all media platforms…” (BBC). Since 2008, the term has been the explanation for the disproportionate backlash and hatred Black women receive in media spaces and day-to-day life, fashion being one of those places.

The challenges Black women face in fashion span from hairstyles to dress silhouettes, even down to the nails they choose to wear. It becomes webbed in a hypocritical tale of “they can, but we can’t.” Repeatedly, Black women are told that when they wear their natural hair, it is unkempt. When they do acrylic nails, it is ghetto, and if they wear a form-falling dress, it is revealing. There is seemingly never a “right way” to partake in fashion and be Black. But then again, when has there ever been a “right way” to be Black in this America?

In an interview with Northwestern Magazine, Bailey says, “This is how I started to think about the term misogynoir: the anti-Black, racist misogyny that Black women – and people perceived as Black women – experience…referring both to the French word for the color black as well as the film genre noir because one of the ways that I see misogynoir showing up is often in media.” 

Global tennis icon Serena Williams has been a victim of misogynoir across the span of her career. Her depiction by an Australian cartoonist is one time that stands apart. The sketch unmistakably mocks her, as it follows artistic cues of racist caricatures featured in the Jim Crow era. Believe it or not, all she was doing in the real-life reference was calling out the judge for improper calls against her during the match. A frustrated Williams who simply wanted a fair match was misconstrued and publicly depicted as a large, husky woman throwing an inappropriate tantrum. This speaks volumes when John McEnroe, male tennis extraordinaire, was renowned for the same level of tantrum depicted by this cartoon, but was never once made to be a laughingstock because of it. 

When McEnroe (or honestly anyone who looks like him) does it, it's relatable. It’s understandable. When Williams does it, it’s a tantrum. It’s unnecessary. It’s “ghetto”. 

Now, while this reference isn’t directly related to fashion, it is a prime example of the uncalled-for hatred Black women are subject to for being simply that, Black and a woman. Taking this framework into the fashion world, it is remarkable to see the way it manifests. 

It is actually comical, almost, to see the world look down upon Black women, to hate on Black women for fashion choices, but to idolize their white, male counterparts for doing the same. While reporters in 2015 criticized Zendaya for looking as if she “smelled of patchouli oil or ‘weed,’” Jared Leto’s cornrow chapter was, at worse, categorized as “awkward” by Popsugar (which, let’s be real, is an issue in of itself, but digressing). There is conditionally a double standard in these scenarios, and the Black women is always on the losing end. 

Photo Credits: VIBE.com; Marc Jacobs at 2024 MET Gala -- Steve Eichner/Getty Images

Marc Jacobs often stuns photos and red carpets with 3XL nails, and it is a sight to be seen. It adds to his aura as a fashion designer and is an extension of his craft. However, when Olympian Sha’Carri Richardson stunted the track with her stunning set, the ridicule she got was likened to that received by American track legend Florence “Flo-Jo” Joyner for being revulsive, unprofessional, and deviant of the expected norm. 

This is not to criticize Jacobs or public figures like him who acknowledge and honor the history of these practices. However, the disparity between public reception of these actions is where a large part of this issue lies. It’s important to highlight that the things these Black women are getting criticized for doing (i.e., long nails, braids/locs, etc.) are things that are culturally and historically Black. From hairstyles to acrylics, these looks stem from and were created in Black culture by Black women. Misogynoir in fashion just follows the age-old adage that these things will forever only be acceptable if they come in a white and bright package.

Misogynoir has prevented Black women from enjoying their time in fashion for decades. It is only recently that we have seen Black women accepted by the public for taking back what is rightfully theirs. Artists like Megan Thee Stallion have shown the ways that streetwear and femininity can tie together to contribute to powerful art in her song Bigger In Texas. Doechii has recently given a new name to the versatility game and dazzled red carpets and fashion weeks with high feminine, androgynous, classically masculine, and haute couture styles. These women and others have all graced us with looks that strayed far from what was expected of them, allowing their Black female fans to envision all the possibilities fashion holds for them. 

Photo Credits: IMBD; "Bigger in Texas" MV - Megan Thee Stallion

Fashion never has been and never will be a box with boundaries dictated by the white upper-class man. As restrictive as these expectations may seem, breaking from them is what gives young Black girls hope. It is what leaves the world at our fingertips, up for the taking in any way we see fit.