Abstract

Black women all over the world face racism and sexism on a daily basis. The anti-black and misogynistic racism targeting black women is called misogynoir (Bailey 2016). In misogynoir, stereotypes on the sexuality and bodies of black women are decisive. This also negatively affects the lives of black girls. In this article I argue that for black girls, misogynoir is reflected in the form of adultification. Black girls are often judged and treated as black women, based on unjustified assumptions about their behavior and body. Adults may see them as more independent, more sexually active and as less innocent than their white peers: as bodies that need less support and protection (Blake and Epstein 2019; Epstein, Blake and González 2017). Fifteen in-depth interviews with black Dutch women shed light on their experiences with adultification in their past, and the intertwining with misogynoir in society. As black girls, the respondents experienced that they were wrongly labeled by adults as mentally mature, sexually active and guilty. It became clear that childhood innocence is not granted to black girls. This applies in particular to the respondents who have experienced adultification and sexual violence, as they relate this to each other. This article represents a first step in illustrating how misogynoir is reflected in the narratives about adultification and the disparate treatment of black girls and women in the Netherlands.

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