Lady in the streets, Freak in the Sheets

Black Women Navigating Good Girl/ Bad Girl Myths

Who gets labeled “wifey material”? Who is deemed “too much” or “not enough”? And what happens when Black women refuse to perform either role? The “good girl/bad girl” sexual scripts Black women are expected to navigate create impossible double binds. From respectability politics and purity myths to hypersexual stereotypes and desirability, these scripts shape how Black women are seen, judged, and treated in intimate relationships and public life. Too often, these conversations about sexual scripts fail to center the nuance, agency, and lived experiences of Black women—limiting how sexual freedom, safety, and self-definition are imagined and practiced.

Research shows that awareness of stigmatizing race-based sexual scripts is linked with higher sexual guilt and attachment avoidance, and can undermine sexual assertiveness and satisfaction among Black women. Studies also find that these stereotypes are woven into cultural norms that influence sexual decision-making, sometimes reducing feelings of empowerment around safer sex practices and intimate relationship choices.

This episode features Dr. XXXXXXX, who explores where these narratives come from and the costs of constantly managing one’s behavior, body, and desires according to the research.

To learn more about Dr. Coleman, click here.

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THIS PODCAST WILL BE AVAILABLE MONDAY MARCH 30

Season 3 Episode

Running Time:  TBD minutes