Salvation: Black People and Love By: Bell Hooks; Chapters 6,9: Mama Love; Heterosexual Love - Essay Example

bell hooks presents several interesting insights about love and the Black female. The three main issues are the Black woman as a sexual object, the Black woman’s difficulty in self love, and the myth of the willing matriarchal Black woman. Black women have been seen as temptresses since they were first brought as slaves to the American colony. Black women have been enslaved through rape, insults, and attacks from both the Black and White community long after slavery ended. Rapes were blamed on the Black woman because of society’s perception of them.

Black womn who survived rape with any dignity was seen, “as superhuman, animalistic, and monstrous” (hooks 95). Even older Black women would turn on the victim, leading to the second issue in bell hooks book. Self love for the Black woman is not easily achieved because of society’s perception of them. Society shows Black women as whores who have numerous children out of wedlock to stay on welfare. However evidence “countered racist and sexist stereotypes” about Black women on welfare, suggesting that it is lower than once reported (hooks 100).

This leads to the third point. The matriarchal position of the Black woman is not willing. The Black woman will work and take care of her family if her spouse or mate is not able to. Some Black men “lacked employment” due to no fault of their own, so their counterparts took up the slack (Hook 158). It was not a choice, but a necessity. These issues have shown the Black woman in a different light.References hooks, bell. Salvation: Black People and Love. USA: HarperCollins, 2001.