Negotiating the dominant sexual script: Middle-class black girls tell their story

This research explores how middle-class black adolescent girls negotiate the dominant sexual script assigned to all young black girls. Basically, the black adolescent female sexual script is recognized as "promiscuous," "teen mother" and "uneducated." This racialized and sexualized script permeates and dominates the public psyche, social science literature, and legislative initiatives. Moreover, this monolithic script fundamentally excludes black girls who are not low-income, state-dependent and/or teen mothers. This study reveals how middle-class black girls interpret, experience and resist this dominant sexual script. In particular, it examines: How do they describe their sexual self-image? What characteristics do they find attractive in potential partners? How do they pursue and engage romantic friendships?; This qualitative study is guided by a black feminist perspective that centers the experiences, language and adolescent culture of middle-class black girls in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Employing the snowball and purposive methods, 61 girls between the ages of 15 and 20 were interviewed. The girls were asked to describe the sexual self-image, partner selection and romantic friendships of a stereotypical black girl whom they define as "ghetto" and how their experiences differ from this stereotypical girl. The girls in this study revealed that they are different and must negotiate the dominant sexual script and their own personal narrative to create personal and social equilibrium. They discussed how they have to keep a "foot in each world," in order to balance the stereotypical image and the one they create for themselves. Unlike most studies about adolescent female sexuality this study centers the non-coital aspects of sexuality and provides insights into the intricacies and complexity of middle-class black girls' femininity.