I Am Not (Your) Superwoman, Black Girl Magic, or Beautiful Struggle: Rethinking the Resilience of Black Women and Girls

The concept and social media hashtag, #BlackGirlMagic, is used to demonstrate the ability of Black women and girls to create paths and to succeed despite intersectional racism, sexism, and classism. Conversely, the concept of Black Girl Magic and Strong Black Woman schemas have been used to glorify struggle, undermine support, and victim-blame. Therefore, resiliency for Black women and girls requires clarification on how and why it is used and understood by researchers and practitioners. This article examines the experiences of Black women and girls by (a) evaluating the use of resiliency research and theoretical frameworks (Luthar et al., 2000; Spencer, 2005); (b) exploring unrecognized strengths and vulnerabilities across the lifespan; and (c) providing recommendations for researchers, interventionists, and practitioners to rethink resilience for Black women and girls. Black feminist thought and womanism frameworks are integrated to promote sustained healthy development for Black women and girls. Resiliency can only be promoted in Black women and girls if (a) immediate psychosocial and physical needs are addressed while (b) concurrently eliminating systemic barriers and social norms that allow Black women and girls to experience outsized adversity.