The Erasure of Black Girlhood

Written By: Maria Victoria Almarza

Image provided by The New York Public Library

Black girls have been denied the privilege of a childhood for centuries. However, this

systemic issue has rarely been acknowledged or properly addressed. One of the exceptions to this cycle is the TV adaptation of Matt Ruff’s novel Lovecraft Country, which brings this oppression to light with Diana Freeman’s character. Diana is central to the story through her relationship to Atticus, the protagonist and her older cousin. In Lovecraft Country, Diana Freeman, a young Black girl, is forced to navigate a 1950’s America with supernatural forces and rampant racism almost entirely alone because of her family’s neglect, the death of her father and the murder of her friend Emmett Till. She is later cursed by a cop called Captain Lancaster, who was looking for her mom Hippolayta, and is persecuted by paranormal beings that she’s forced to fight until failure, at which point her family returns to save her. The adultification of Diana showcases the complex ways in which misogynoir impacts Black girls’ lives.

Diana’s physical and emotional neglect show how misogynoir forces Black girls to navigate trauma alone, denying them of the care and compassion afforded to other children. Diana is aware that she has been ignored and lied to by the adults in her life, and explodes after Emmett Till’s funeral stating “Y’all not gonna tell me what’s going on? Y’all just gonna keep acting like I’m not here?” (Lovecraft Country 00:24:10). Instead of receiving comfort and guidance, Diana is overlooked by the adults in her life who focus on their own issues. They don’t realize, or don’t care, that she is dependent on them; their struggles are hers too, especially since they’re regarding her family. In fact, a study by Epstein et al. confirms that “the view that Black girls need less nurturing, protection and support and are more independent” is prevalent, and in this case is a cause for the Freeman family’s neglect. Diana’s understanding of her position shows how Black girls are secondary thoughts, and how their traumatic experiences are not taken with as much severity, or approached with as much empathy, as would be afforded to white girls. This specific instance perfectly showcases how, at the intersection between racism and misogyny, Black girls are terrorized and traumatized. Neglect causes Black girls to deal with trauma alone; therefore, they’re forced to become hyper-independent at a young age.

Diana is forced into a level of responsibility and maturity that she is not prepared for, demonstrating how misogynoir rids Black girls of their childhood by expecting them to be resilient in a way children should never be. After Emmett Till’s funeral, Diana runs off after becoming overwhelmed. Once she is found by Atticus and Leti, they confront her about running away, and her response is “I can take care of myself” (Lovecraft Country 00:35:05). At this point in time, she has already been assaulted and cursed by Captain Lancaster in an alleyway, and is being stalked by two demons, Topsy and Bopsy.

Diana was traumatized by that violent encounter and has been unable to properly cope with the emotional turmoil resulting from her father’s sudden death. She has been failed by the adults around her, who did not award her the protection or care she needed, and left her to deal with her profound struggles alone. Her statement reflects how she’s learnt to handle this failure by developing the belief that she must be self-sufficient, responsible, and strong, even in situations that adults struggle to cope with. According to Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D., a psychologist and the host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Black girls are often characterized as “little women.” Teachers, and even parents, may expect Black girls to exceed age-appropriate levels of responsibility at home or assume they don’t need to be comforted after emotionally distressing events (Meadows-Fernandez). Diana is required to be more mature and responsible than other children her age as a result of the misogynoir she’s experienced, which also comes in the shape of police violence.

Photograph provided by The New York Public Library

Diana experiences violence and dehumanization because she is seen as unimportant and a detriment to society. Misogynoir, in its nature, denies Black girls of their innocence. A report by Georgetown Law confirms that “negative stereotypes of black women as angry, aggressive and hypersexualized are projected onto black girls.” This can help us better understand why Black girls’ innocence is erased, along with the context around Diana’s aforementioned assault by Captain Lancaster and the resulting persecution by Topsy and Bopsy. Diana’s stalking by these demons is extremely important and complex; they are the embodiment of systemic misogynoir.

Topsy and Bopsy’s physical characteristics and mannerisms reflect racist imagery and stereotypes of Black girls, which can be implied from Uncle Tom’ s Cabin falling in Diana’s room after she’s cursed. Furthermore, the entire interaction that led to the creation of these demons was a direct result of the vilification of Black girls and women. It was caused by the Captain’s pursuit of her mom, Hippolyta, who got wrapped up with the police while investigating her husband’s sudden and suspicious death. Diana is seen by society in the same way she views Topsy and Bopsy: invisible to the adults around her and the cause of harm and fear, with their innocent and child-like qualities being hyperbolized to the point of being nightmarish. When confronted with these monsters, Diana utters “You can’t make me not scared.” (Lovecraft Country 00:47:30). Diana recognizes that she is not capable of fulfilling the role the adults around her have neglected, and that she is a scared, abandoned child being subjected to unspeakable harm. Diana’s nuanced experience of misogynoir is a jarring issue for Black girls even today.

The adultification of Diana is a result of her physical and emotional neglect, the violence she experiences and the subsequent independence she is forced to have. Diana’s abuse and experiences resulting from bigotry against her race and gender are materialized by the supernatural elements in the show. However, they are not fictional. Black girls are subject to this misogynoir every day. This show forces viewers to face the struggles the Black community, and in this case Black girls, continue to experience by combining outright systemic racism with supernatural elements to explore the complexity of these issues. We must continue to create and learn from media like Lovecraft Country, as education is the best way to combat systemic oppression. Furthermore, we must be better advocates for Black girls’ protection and rights, drawing inspiration from these stories to create real and meaningful change.

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Works Cited

Epstein, Rebecca, et al. “Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood.”

Papers.ssrn.com, 27 June 2017, papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3000695.

Georgetown Law. “Research Confirms That Black Girls Feel the Sting of Adultification Bias

Identified in Earlier Georgetown Law Study.” Georgetown.edu, 15 May 2019,

www.law.georgetown.edu/news/research-confirms-that-black-girls-feel-the-sting-of-adultification-bias-identified-in-earlier-georgetown-law-study/.

González, Thalia. “From the Classroom to the Courtroom: The Adultification of Black Girls

Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Series.” CLE MATERIALS Center on Race, Law &

Justice. 2018.

http://www.fixschooldiscipline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/20.From_Classroom_ToTheCourtroom.2013.pdf

“Jig-A-Bobo,” Lovecraft Country, directed by Misha Green, season 1, episode 8, HBO, 4 Oct. 2020.

Meadows-Fernandez, Marquita K. "Why Won't Society Let Black Girls Be Children?" The New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020,

www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/parenting/adultification-black-girls.html. Accessed 14

Mar. 2025.