Gold diggers and video vixens: Modern jezebel stereotype and substance use among urban African American girls

Background: Often studies of African American women and girls will focus on one area in isolation of the other (e.g., race vs. gender). Intersectionality, as it is often termed, seeks to examine the ways in which these categories interact on multiple levels. Objective: This study expands the discourse regarding intersectionality with an attempt to empirically measure the influence of stereotypes and negative images that stem from intersecting systems of sexism and racism. Specifically, we examined the relationship of negative stereotypes and endorsement of Western standards of beauty (i.e., Colorism) on the substance use behavior of low income urban African American girls. Racial socialization has been identified as a protective factor in previous research with African American youth. Therefore, we also sought to examine if parental racial socialization messages moderated those relationships. Methods: Two hundred and seventy two African American girls ( mean age = 13.02 years) completed a baseline survey as part of a larger intervention study. Results: Results indicated that some girls identified with negative stereotypes and endorsed Colorism. Girls who accepted an African American standard of beauty reported lower levels of substance use compared to girls who endorsed Colorism. Our study also found that parental racial socialization messages buffered the negative relationship of Colorism to substance use behavior but only for a certain subset of girls. Conclusion: These findings have important implications for the development of culturally tailored interventions designed to prevent substance use among urban African American girls.