Silly Sex Stereotypes That People Love To Believe

9. “Black women are the most “fertile”.”

I love how some black women throw around the fact they have a gang of kids as sign that God spent a little more time on their ovaries. If you have sex enough at the right time, unless something is seriously awry, you’re probably going to get pregnant.  Sometimes it’s not the fact that you have a platinum status reproductive system, you just had a lot of time on your hands (or the right time on your hands) to get it popping.

In her story, “Are Black Women Baby-Making Machines?”  Denise Cortes references the historical stereotype of the animalistic, hyper-sexual black woman that was created to justify rape and sexual exploitation for generations.  Black women have been taught for years that an ample “ability” to pro-create balances our lack of intelligence.  I think on some level many women have internalized these derogatory beliefs that were imposed on us centuries ago.  At the same time, infertility is real in our community, but unfortunately many of us avoid it because we still associate the ability to make a baby with sexuality and femininity. Being mothers is only one of the amazing things we are capable of.