Jezebel Unhinged: Black Female Body in Religion and Culture

The jezebel trope, a pervasive stereotype that casts black women as sexually deviant, has been a critical tool in reinforcing men's cultural and institutional power to discipline and define black girlhood and womanhood, as Tamura Lomax explores in her work "Jezebel Unhinged." Lomax's analysis draws from a wide range of sources, including writings by medieval thinkers and travelers, Enlightenment theories of race, the commodification of women's bodies under slavery, and the work of contemporary figures such as Tyler Perry and Bishop T. D. Jakes.

Lomax demonstrates how black women have been written into religious and cultural history as sites of sexual deviation, a narrative that persists in the contemporary black church culture. Figures like Jakes, Lomax argues, employ the jezebel stereotype to suggest a divine approval of the "lady" while simultaneously condemning girls and women perceived as "hos." This stereotype, Lomax contends, serves to preserve gender hierarchy, black patriarchy, and heteronormativity within black communities, cultures, and institutions.

In response to this oppressive narrative, Lomax identifies acts of resistance, appropriation, and play by black women and girls, who seek to reclaim and redefine the meanings of the jezebel trope. Lomax's work calls for a ceaseless refusal of the idea that sin resides in black women's bodies, arguing that this is a necessary step in healing the black church and disentangling black women and girls from the jezebel narrative's oppressive yoke.

Tamura Lomax's "Jezebel Unhinged" is a powerful exploration of the jezebel trope, tracing its historical roots and contemporary manifestations within the black church and black popular culture. By examining the ways in which this stereotype has been used to reinforce men's power and discipline black girlhood and womanhood, Lomax offers a critical perspective on the ongoing struggle for gender justice and racial equity within black communities and institutions.

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