There is so much shame instilled in women when it comes to the act of sex because women are socially punished no matter how they choose to live their lives. There is a lack of conversation with young girls and women of color about exploring their bodies and sexuality as they develop, which is resulting in them making decisions that are not fully informed or in their best interest. Women of color can’t make fully informed decisions about their bodies due to a significant lack of sex education that addresses their needs and cultural backgrounds.
In Barbara Welter’s “The Cult of True Womanhood”, Welter discusses a period of time that began punishing women for not remaining pure. Welter states, “The attributes of True Womanhood, by which a woman judged herself and was judged by her husband, her neighbors and society could be divided into four cardinal virtues—piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity.” (152). In these times, womanhood became nothing but a performance. These values that made up true womanhood were never rooted in the reality of what womanhood can be. While these traits were all significant to maintaining the illusion of true womanhood, purity was vital. The effects of true womanhood still linger as woman struggle with discovering their bodies and sexuality, feeling shame for reasons not fully understood.
One of the communities that suffers the most from stigma surrounding sex is the Hispanic and Latino community. Sandra Cisneros exemplifies this through “Guadalupe the Sex Goddess,” explaining the root of shame that she and Latinas felt about their bodies. Religion and culture play a major role in preventing Latinas from exploring and understanding their bodies. “Religion and our culture, our culture and religion, helped to create that blur, a vagueness about what went on ‘down there.’” (Cisneros). Religion has justified the shame that comes with self-discovery.
Culture plays an equal role in silencing Latinas wanting to understand their bodies. These conversations regarding safety and education are nonexistent in Latino communities. Cisneros explains that the lack of education regarding Latinas and our bodies is resulting in Latinas making uninformed decisions with their bodies and sexuality. “So much guilt, so much silence, and such a yearning to be loved; no wonder young women find themselves having sex while they are still children, having sex without sexual protection, too ashamed to confide their feelings and fears to anyone” (Cisneros).
In the article “Race-Based Sexual Stereotypes, Gendered Racism, and Sexual Decision Making Among Young Black Cisgender Women”, the authors discuss how race-based sexual stereotypes have affected Black women’s decisions when it comes to engaging in sexual experiences. Young Black women are afraid of being associated with race-based stereotypes, such as the Jezebel, the Sapphire, the Thot (Bond et al.), so to avoid it, they risk their health. Black women are conscious of how to engage in safe sex, but don’t feel safe enough to voice their concerns. There needs to be more education regarding race-based stereotypes so Black women do not live their lives unsafely.
There is no shame in womanhood.
To prevent younger generations from making decisions they are not fully informed on and from making mistakes that cannot be undone, it is important to create spaces for discussion where younger girls and women of color can learn more about their bodies, sexual experiences, and how they intersect with their cultural backgrounds.
Works Cited
Bond, Keosha T., et al. “Race-based sexual stereotypes, gendered racism, and sexual decision making among young black cisgender women.” Health Education & Behavior, vol. 48, no. 3, June 2021, pp. 295–305, https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981211010086.
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Arte Público Press, 1984.
Welter, Barbara. “The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860.” American Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 2, 1966, p. 151, https://doi.org/10.2307/2711179.
