The dichotomy of the sexually liberated fast-tailed girl
Trigger warning. This should not be an easy read.
During my undergraduate education at a well-to-do University, one that was not filled with Black girls, I finally was taught sex education. Admittedly, despite my mother’s simplistic lessons of “don’t do it,” she did provide space for my curiosity. Whereas she was not willing to engage in conversations about genitalia, menstruation, what to do if touched inappropriately, or how to enjoy pleasure, she did understand that my academic interest in sex as a whole was worth allowing space to study. When in doubt, there was Shanda and Fat Man Scoop, a couple of sex educators whose content shed light on taboo acts. Taboo to me because at sixteen years old I probably should not have been watching their channel, sex education was reserved for adults. It was taboo because anytime a black girl associates herself with sexuality, it is as if she is asking for it, it ranges from satisfaction to assault. Even though a curious child is in no way asking for sexual contact when attempting to learn about the world around them, the society around them is quick to demonize their pursuit of knowledge. This is a pity. Through knowledge, we find solutions, prevention, and guidance.
The dichotomy of being a sexually liberated black girl is to be a black girl who is made to be ashamed. Even in moments of self-pride and joy, the cloud of embarrassment and guilt quickly follows. How do black girls grow into women who can fully embrace their naughty behavior if before they could conceptualize their sexuality, she was punished for it? She was made a problematic figure, a temptation, the siren of her demise. Like Western women are conditioned to be nervous and eventually anxious, the sexually liberated black girl is taught that she is a menace for simply being. Even when a black girl waits until womanhood to own and embrace her sexuality, that empowerment can quickly falter. The human mind does not operate like a light switch. It is slow, complicated, and may require numerous failed attempts before achieving success. In the African-American community, the term fast or fast-tailed girl is used to describe the appearance of a black girl’s sexual appeal. It is a gendered term that is almost, if not always, used explicitly to shame black female children. Because black children live in a society where they are quick to be seen as problems, the term fast may have been derived as an attempt to make them aware of how the rest of the world perceives them. Like how black parents utilize corporal punishment to tame and discourage bad behavior, the term fast is a form of verbal violence against black girls. It is, in many cases their first introduction to misogynoir, a term coined by American writer Moya Bailey, which described the intersection of misogyny and racism towards black females.
The reason the term “fast” is inherently a tool for misogynoir is that, as previously mentioned, it is almost exclusively a slur used against black women, females, and girls. If a black girl begins to grow into a stereotypically black form, one with wide hips, bigger buttocks, shapely lips, and other hyper-sexualized features she then becomes a growing concern. Treated as if her physical development is a bid for male attention or formidable competition with an adult female, it is not uncommon for her to be made brutally aware. In my experience, the teenage years are difficult for various reasons. The teenage body is met with periods, which bring forth the need for conversations about which products to use. The soul, the consciousness, within the newly menstruating body may become repulsed by the scent, sight, and thought of what is occurring. When met with disdain, the natural result of hurtful positive conditioning is to associate a bad feeling with a perfectly natural process.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA):
For every black woman who reports rape, at least 15 black women do not report.
One in four black girls will be sexually abused before 18.
One in five black women are survivors of rape.
Thirty-five percent of black women experienced some form of contact sexual violence during their lifetime.
Forty to sixty percent of black women report being subjected to coercive sexual contact by age 18.
Seventeen percent of black women experienced sexual violence other than rape by an intimate partner during their lifetime.
More than 20 percent of black women are raped during their lifetimes — a higher share than among women overall.
Black women were two and a half times more likely to be murdered by men than their white counterparts. And, more than 9 in 10 black female victims knew their killers.
Black women also experience significantly higher rates of psychological abuse — including humiliation, insults, name-calling, and coercive control — than do women overall.
Despite the above statistics being alarming, disturbing, and upsetting— it is a relief to see an organization as prominent as the APA acknowledging the realities of misogynoir and brutality against black women. As mentioned above, sexual violence against black girls does not begin in womanhood. Many black women are victimized by sexuality before they can conceptualize what is happening, and they are forced to live in their bodies without comprehensive sex education. Education that would enable them to voice what happened to them. Coupled with their physical entrapment, they are met with the cultural slur “fast.”
A great point made by Mikki Kendall in her book “Hood Feminism” is that
black girls are rarely given what they need and what they are asking for. This is not to suggest that black girls, women, and females are desperately begging for sex education. Nor does it always take comprehensive sexual education to understand when something inappropriate has happened. What is clear is that black bodies deserve protection and solutions to specific problems in their communities.
The decision to be and identify as a sexually liberated person is personal. No one should be required or pressured into sexual activity, especially considering many black people identify as grey sexual. For those black women, girls, and females who identify as sexually liberated, there should be a space for them to express how sexual shame has impacted their lives. Personally, when friends jokingly call me “fast,” even though I am almost thirty years old, it is easy to laugh off. As a Sagittarius, it is easy to laugh off hurt.
Admittedly, I still blame myself for all the sexual violence that has occurred to me. Even though it is easy as a college-educated adult to recognize my cognitive dissonance, it still feels scary to be viewed as sexy or sexual. To eyes that wish to view me as sexual, it feels inescapable to be sexual to those who want to view me as sexual. Whether or not I try, photos of physical pride can be turned into lewd. Corrupted swimsuit photos and form-fitting clothing can quickly become an error if beastly eyes project their intent on it. My argument is that all people should be granted the freedom to explore, embrace, and express their sexuality without the fear of being abused and victim-blamed. Until we as a collective society can recognize and unpack our sexual trauma, we will continue to be a world of double standards. Gemini lipped, preaching sexual purity and turning blind eyes to heathen behaviors. It should not be the responsibility of black girls to navigate the dichotomy of being sexually liberated and fast-tailed, but rather on black societies to erase the demonization of sexuality and the black female form.
