Historically, the idea of Black womanhood was distorted by white society’s negative and stereotypical portrayals, depriving Black women of control over their own identities. In Ain’t I A Woman, bell hooks emphasized that both Black men and women were pressured to adopt the norms of white society. In response, Black intellectuals and activists worked to reclaim and uplift the image of Black womanhood. Movements like the Black Madonna Movement, along with women's clubs, literature, and critical essays, aimed to challenge and replace damaging stereotypes such as the “mammy,” the “domineering matriarch,” the “Jezebel,” and the “tragic mulatto.”