Thanks to Leticia, Caely, Anjan G., Liz, Bradley K., and Kelsey P. for their patience. Our SocImages email inbox is a hot mess, and sometimes things fall through the cracks. This is certainly true for the short video below, one of the responses to the “Shit Girls Say” clip that inspired a round of copycats last December. We decided to post about it belatedly because it remains a great example of something called a microaggression.
Microaggressions are “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative… slights and insults” (source). These are often subtle. So the recipient feels badly, but it can be difficult to explain exactly why, especially to someone who isn’t sympathetic to issues of bias. The Microaggressions Project has hundreds, maybe thousands, of examples.
In this video, Franchesca Leigh poses as a “White girl” and says many of the things that she and other “Black girls” hear routinely. To Leigh, these are microaggressions. They variously trivialize and show insensitivity towards race and racism, remind the listener that she is considered different and strange, homogenize and stereotype Black people, and more…
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 100
amcdp — August 3, 2012
maybe we're not allowed to be 'macro' aggressive, unless what to pick up crazy such and such tag, we resort to microaggressions.
JonCarter — August 3, 2012
Microaggression? Oh, I think you mean "Life".....
"brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental
indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate
hostile, derogatory, or negative… slights and insults”"
myblackfriendsays — August 3, 2012
Ah, white people.
Tusconian — August 3, 2012
It seems she's forgotten the excessive, constant unsolicited comments on appearances. Particularly "OMG you should get a weave, you'd be so pretty with long hair" or "why do you perm your hair when you could, like, totally have an afro or whatever." And the ever popular "haha, look, I have a black booty too, I'm even blacker than you! *90s style booty popping dance*"
hopeless shade — August 3, 2012
Holy shit I want to punch everyone on that Microagressions Project. I figured they'd be eyerollingly casually awful but no, most are unrepentantly, screamingly terrible human beings. So much for "micro"!!
Strategist — August 3, 2012
The Valley Girl has taken over the planet! Who saw that coming?!
chescaleigh — August 3, 2012
thanks for posting! the conversation is always worth having, even a few months later :)
decius — August 3, 2012
I notice that I am confused. Is it asserted that this kind of shit doesn't transcend the barriers of race, class, and gender, or that it is worse to hear them if one is black?
Lee Solomon — August 4, 2012
I live in the Stone Age, so this is the first time I've ever seen this... Shame on me for laughing my ass off... I'm gonna watch it again now.
Some Chick — August 4, 2012
one of the tags on this post should be "old shit we've all seen months ago".
because we have.
Volcano — August 8, 2012
I understand the point of this video and it is well done. I just wish the focus on racial issues wasn't so strongly black vs. white. White and black relationships are still so taboo in America that my fiance and I are going to relocate to a more racially diverse location for our future children and based on the fact that we are treated and dismissed from functions or friends and I use that would lightly because so many close minded people don't agree with our relationship. I would have enjoyed this video if it was titled "The things girls say about Black Girls" All Racial groups have INDIVIDUALS who say racial shit.
Part-time thinker — August 13, 2012
I suspect Black people and other peoples of Color find the micro-aggression against them especially aggravating because they presently have no good way to strike back (metaphorically). That would be a refreshing alternative to crying racism every time and elevate them from the status of reactive victims.
Sadly, PoC just can't bring themselves to say anything even mildly critical of whites as a whole, and if they do there is no feeling in it. Black people are not experts at hating the "other" like whites are and I am thankful for that.
Microaggressions – The Shit White Girls say to Black Girls « Dead Wild Roses — August 13, 2012
[...] I keep telling myself, “Arbourist, you need to post more stuff you write as opposed to other things gleaned from the net”. The problem is that the net has a lot of awesome on it that does it better than I. Consider Sociological Images. They present a concept, concisely explain said concept and then reinforce the learning with a spot-on video. SI, you do are doing it right. From SI: [...]
[video] Classic “white girl” microaggressions « slendermeans — August 25, 2012
[...] considered different and strange, homogenize and stereotype Black people, and more… [Read more: sociologicalimages] [share]ShareEmailFacebookTwitterTumblrPinterestStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]
Jyelrihs99 — September 24, 2012
I have been told point blank at a job interview that they were under the impression I was not black.....exact words "Oh I didnt think you were an African American lady"!!!!!
WTF
My name and voice didnt seem black apparently!!!!
Since I didnt get the job could I have sued them.....LOL.
Very interesting blog and comments.
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[...] “Classic ‘White Girl’ Microaggressions” (The Society [...]
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J Dub — April 28, 2014
Sorry, apparently I'm 2 years late to the party. I just wanted to express my frustration with the portrayal of white girls in the worst possible manner. Also, I'm surprised and disappointed at the fact that 99% of the comments here are bandwagoning on that message, reinforcing the view of white girls as stupid, insensitive, egomaniacs or worse. I wish Dr. Wade had addressed this aspect of the video.
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[…] for Trump is just another example of the use of macroaggression against minorities. More about that here , here, and […]