In conversations surrounding women, whether it be about their accomplishments or their difficulties, women of color are often removed from the narrative. White women are made the center of the conversation and the sole focus. We see this bleed through from trends on social media to stereotypes portrayed on television and even in politics with how different kinds of women’s experiences are treated. 

When female rage was trending on TikTok, edits that were made often only consisted of white women in television — characters of color were neglected. Most of the discussion around female rage ended up surrounding the anger of white women, even though women of color have the most reason to be angry. All women face sexism, but women of color are also forced to face racism, sometimes from within their own gender. And unlike white women, they aren’t allowed to get as angry without being assaulted with stereotypes such as “angry black woman” or “loud Latina woman” that dehumanize their anger. Misogyny was often discussed within these conversations, but the connections between racism and misogyny were not, despite their close intersections 

When femininity was celebrated and trending on social media, you could find hundreds of edits that claimed to show womanhood, and yet the videos would only consist of white women. Women of color — especially darker-skinned women who are unfairly treated as less feminine or womanly due to the color of their skin — were once again ignored. 

It begs the question: why are women of color removed from the narrative of womanhood? In any conversation surrounding women — whether it be about their victories or difficulties — women of color are removed from the conversation and white women are made the focus.

This purposeful exclusion of women of color from the narrative of womanhood is and has been deeply rooted in history. It’s been shaped by centuries of oppression from colonialism to slavery to racial hierarchies. Eurocentric standards are what often define femininity in many societies like non-Western societies like the ones in South Asia who’s beauty standards worship Western beauty and behavior, or to put it more clearly, white beauty and behavior. In South Asia, bleaching creams such as Fair & Lovely are commonly used to lighten skin, and women in China hold umbrellas under the sun to keep their skin as pale as possible. These standards positioned white women as the epitome of womanhood while pushing aside women of color to stereotypes and roles.

This is emphasized even more in the media we consume. Media has a large influence in shaping societal perceptions of anything, including femininity, yet it often excludes women of color. From films and television, the dominant image of "womanhood" is most often white, reinforcing the idea that white women are the default or ideal representation of femininity. We often see love interests and main characters as white, with typical Eurocentric features such as straighter hair, pale skin, lighter eyes, etc., while women of color are often pushed aside into the role of the quirky best friend.

Black women are often cast as "strong," "sassy," or “independent,” denying them the vulnerability and softness traditionally associated with femininity. Asian women are frequently depicted as submissive or hypersexualized, while Latina women are stereotyped as fiery or overly passionate. These portrayals reduce women of color to caricatures and fail to reflect their full humanity, leaving them as one-note stereotypes.

These stereotypes can also bleed into how women of color are treated in real life. Black women, especially ones with darker skin, are often considered too masculine simply because of the color of their skin—Serena and Venus Williams have both been insulted and likened to men throughout their careers. South Asian women—especially darker-skinned women—have been stereotyped as less feminine and uneducated. They are mocked and faced with insults, leaving many to struggle with their own gender identities because they don’t fit into the general idea of femininity or masculinity. 

When women of color are excluded from conversations about womanhood and femininity, their unique struggles are also erased. The narratives we build around womanhood must evolve to reflect the diversity of different women’s differing lives and experiences. Women of color have long been at the forefront of social change and feminist movements, and yet their contributions are consistently overlooked and ignored in the larger conversation. By amplifying their voices, celebrating their achievements, and addressing the unique challenges they face, we can move toward a more inclusive understanding of what it means to be a woman.