Mammy to Multidimensional: Analyzing the Representation
of the Strong Black Woman Archetype in American Drama Television Series from 1980 to Present Day

 

Evelyn Ealey

Strategic Communications, Elon University

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements in an undergraduate senior capstone course in communications

Abstract

Television impacts millions of viewers and has transformed the media landscape, shaping societal behaviors and dynamics through content across genres. Archetypal themes in American drama television series from 1980 to 2025 impact societal attitudes towards Black women. This study investigated five American drama television series released between 1980 and 2025 to identify the representation of Black women characters. A qualitative content analysis was conducted by randomly selecting two episodes from five randomly generated American drama television shows from 1980 to 2025. Three themes were: (1) primary caretaker and emotional support system for others, (2) facing expectations of resilience and lack of vulnerability, and (3) a hyper focus on career causing social and emotional isolation. Findings suggest series before 2000 have more negative portrayals of the Strong Black Woman archetype, while modern television series embrace the archetype in a way that redefines its original meaning, giving characters complexity and depth.

Keywords: Drama television, Strong Black Woman, representation, archetype, perception
Email: eealey@elon.edu

I. Introduction

More than 20 million Americans identify as Black women (Census Bureau, 2021), and 22.8% of female character speaking roles in scripted media are held by Black women (Lauzen, 2025). Although Black women representation in drama series is rising, audiences often are met with inaccurate portrayals and stereotypical character archetypes that negatively reflect the identities of the millions of Black women today. One of the most pervasive archetypes born from misrepresentation in drama television is the Strong Black Woman (SBW).

Through portrayals on drama television series, society can be shaped to believe certain narratives and traits about communities, especially when the stories are being told by those outside of the demographic. The creation of cable television, the internet and streaming services has influenced how quickly an archetype can spread, making the impact of poor representations on television a significant contributory factor in negative racial stereotypes. Working towards informed storytelling of diverse communities through accurate drama television series portrayals can promote accurate understanding of racial groups.

While previous research has analyzed the misrepresentation of Black women in all genres of television series, there is a lack of studies examining the Strong Black Woman stereotype specifically, and only in American drama television series. Employing the Cultivation Theory and content analysis, this study looks deeper into how Black women are depicted in American television drama shows from 1980 to 2025, and if they show characteristics associated with the Strong Black Woman archetype. This research analyzes the negative effects that the SBW trope and harmful portrayals of Black women in drama television and its consequences.

II. Literature Review

Prior research has explored the connection between television and film portrayals of Black women and inaccurate societal perceptions of the demographic. Scholars have examined the influence of faulty media archetypes of minority groups on audience opinions and discovered the depictions in media translate to the way these groups are treated in the material world. Additionally, research has explored how the Strong Black Woman archetype has developed over time, and its pervasiveness in American media. Studies found American drama television programs’ portrayals of minority characters were often racially stereotyped, concluding the lack of racial variety in drama television creates a disparity between media representations and public perception. An integral part of this research is understanding how Black women characters in American drama television series perpetuate the characteristics of the Strong Black Woman archetype, and how audiences internalize those messages in relation to the Cultivation Theory of mass communications.

Perceived Realism & Cultivation Theory

Cultivation Theory suggests that long-term exposure to these portrayals and archetypes can shape viewers’ perceptions of reality, including the true personalities of Black women. The Cultivation Theory states, “heavy television viewing cultivates a common view of the world, with the concept of mainstreaming describing how people from very different social groups come together to share a common perception as a result of their exposure to television” (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2022, p. 111). Audience perceptions of reality can be skewed based on what they are exposed to on television, especially drama television that tends to mimic everyday life scenarios. The theory has been strongly supported by research, with media exposure being linked to viewer interpretations of Black women outside of the screen (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2022).

A 2021 research study found key themes of how television dramas reflect societal norms and power dynamics. The research focused on interpersonal communication in television dramas, and its results found drama television portrayals of minority characters to be racially stereotyped. The stereotyping used in the dramas resulted in minority characters within the shows to be in roles as villains, comic relief or supporting best friend roles, reinforcing harmful social norms. The authors concluded the lack of racial variety and excessive archetyping in drama television created a disconnect between media portrays and public opinion (Jones et al., 2021).

Television shows fail to acknowledge how intersectionality of a character’s identity effects the way society views a demographic. Intersectionality is the convergence of multiple identities of an individual or group including race, class and gender (Rosenthal & Lobel, 2016). The neglect of intersectionality for Black female characters cultivates false images of these women and creates attitudes and stereotypes about their personalities including anger, aggression and unfeminineness. A 2016 research study gathered 435 undergraduates from a U.S. university to assess perceptions of randomly assigned images of White or Black women in 10 categories relating to motherhood. Results found that Black women were perceived as likely to be single mothers and in need of assistance in contrast to a White mother (Rosenthal & Lobel, 2016). The study showed that including intersectionality of identities in media can help reverse the damaging cultivation of media archetypes. Through the decades, scholars have debated whether media portrayals of Black women reflect existing societal beliefs or actively shape them, and the Cultivation Theory suggests the answer lies within the content audiences consume.

Past Portrayals of Black Female Archetypes in Media

The representation of Black women in American media has historically relied on racial biases and damaging archetypes that reinforce assumptions of society assumptions of Black women. Black women characters were often reduced to roles as “Mammies” and “Welfare Queens” that simplify and ignore the complexities of Black women’s lived experiences. As these archetypes became widespread across many media, parts of the stereotypes led to the creation of the Strong Black Woman archetype we see in American drama television today. Media plays a pivotal role in shaping public perceptions of Black women, with repeated exposure to tropes reinforcing narrow understandings of complex identities.

The Mammy Archetype

One of the first archetypes attributed to Black women in media was a “mammy.” A mammy is described as a nanny or caretaker of White children in a Southern household (Różalska, 2021). This concept dates back to slavery and is based on the idea of Black women taking care of the plantation owner’s children, which was then cultivated through media for decades, resulting in the belief that the sole purpose of Black women was to raise children (Różalska, 2021). Research found these images to be prevalent in television shows and movies such as Gone with the Wind and The Beulah Show, with the images becoming classified as “controlling images.” The controlling images from this era of television put these women in a position to be portrayed as someone who should never question the dominant social order or the power of White society (Różalska, 2021).

The development of the “mammy” archetype gave way to the gender roles that are still pervasive in American drama television today. While the direct image may not be there, the implications of the previous stereotype are engrained into Black female characters in contemporary portrayals. While the Black mother in present-day television may not be taking care of White children, it often shows her as a homemaker with no struggles and a lack of defining traits outside of her children, or as someone who takes on challenges alone without nuanced emotion and humanistic conflict (Różalska, 2021). This attitude is seen in the Strong Black Woman archetype in modern television and harmfully reinforces the idea that Black women are always resilient, regardless of the toll it may take on them (Watson-Singleton et. al., 2024). The expectation translates into societal perceptions of Black women and causes those outside of the demographic to have specific expectations that do not consider personal experiences or multi-dimensionality of Black women (Watson-Singleton et. al., 2024).

The Welfare Queen Stereotype

The perception that Black women are uneducated and unable to get a job is another negative archetype television media has continued to push, specifically in the 1970s. The “Welfare Queen” stereotype depicts a heavyset, uneducated and unemployed Black woman with many children (Różalska, 2021). Although the Welfare Queen trope is ascribed to Black women, the original welfare queen was a White woman named Linda Taylor, who was charged with committing $8,000 in fraud and illegally obtaining 23 welfare checks using two aliases in 1977 (Demby, 2013). However, due to her tan skin complexion and dark hair, the American public assumed she was Black, despite the fact that official government documentation listed her as White (Demby, 2013). Since the American population believed Taylor was an uneducated and unemployed, that is how they often perceived Black women. This idea expanded into media.

Effects of African American Female Portrayals in the Media

As American viewers are exposed to inaccurate depictions of the Strong Black Woman archetype in television series, they are more likely to make negative assumptions about Black women (Jones et al., 2021). The media saturation of Strong Black Woman characters does not only impact viewers’ perceptions outside of the demographic, but Black women’s perception of themselves as well.

A 2024 study of 178 undergraduate Black cisgender women at an historically Black college in the Southeastern United States studied the correlation between the Strong Black Woman schema (SBW) characteristics of self-determination and strength, and three positive psychology constructs: resilience, self-efficacy and flourishing. In the study, Black women’s portrayals on television in the Strong Black Woman role formed an adaptive function as a result of societal expectations. The projection from others on what it means for a Black woman to be “strong” based on what is displayed in the media actively prevents Black women from finding emotional vulnerability. They feel they are expected to suppress feelings in order to maintain the “strong” image that champions resilience and independence (Watson-Singleton et. al., 2024).

The internalization of the SBW schema often leads many women to, “…lose sight of themselves—their own gifts, goals, and needs—often at the expense of their mental health. It is the wide acceptance of the SBW schema (as it is traditionally conceptualized) by Black women that also makes it a pervasive, albeit accurate, stereotype” (Jones et al., 2021, p. 349). The internalization of the archetype because of media portrayal and societal expectations creates a cycle of negative emotional well-being.

Exposure to the Strong Black Woman archetype on television creates an idealistic, stereotypical version of a Black woman that doesn’t include complexities of personality or emotions. A 1997 research study asked 40 White students (28 females & 12 males) from an introductory communications course to watch comedy skits from popular television shows from the 1970s and 1980s containing stereotypical portrayals of African Americans. Using a method of guilt ratings, the study found that comedic portrayals of African Americans in popular television shows increased the stereotypes people attributed to African Americans in real-world contexts (Ford, 1997). This study reinforces how the Cultivation Theory can reinforce biased perceptions of certain demographic groups, even when presented in less serious formats such as skit comedy.

The existing literature demonstrates that media portrayals of Black women play a significant role in shaping public attitudes and contribute to perceived realism cultivation processes. Although research has examined these archetypes and their societal impacts, less attention has been given to how these portrayals operate specifically in American drama television series. The present addresses this research gap by investigating how American drama television portrayals of the past 40 years shape societal perceptions of Black women and contribute to the attribution of the Strong Black woman archetype traits to real women.

Research Questions

This research will answer the following research questions:

RQ1: What characteristics do American drama television series attribute to Black female characters that reflect the Strong Black women archetype?

RQ2: To what extent has the portrayal of the Strong Black Woman stereotype changed or remained consistent in drama television series from 1980 to 2025?

R3: What common identities do Black women characters share among the selected American drama series?

This research holds significance because it provides an in-depth look into American television drama series and its relationship with racial stereotyping. Additionally, it supports existing research regarding the impact of television on audience perceptions of Black women and the spread of inaccurate, negative portrayals of the demographic. Specifically, it sheds light on how the Strong Black Woman archetype has evolved from and combined with past stereotypes in television including the “domestic mammy,” “welfare queen,” and “sassy best friend.” Examining drama television content from 1980 to 2025 is crucial for understanding the Strong Black Woman archetype and its contributions to societal perceptions of Black women over the past 45 years.

III. Methods

For this research, the primary approach was a qualitative content analysis. Content analysis is the systematic collection and analysis of messages as they appear in media, usually done by assigning particular content items to particular categories (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2022). The sample included five American drama television series released between 1980 and 2025 – two from before 2000, and three from after 2000 – that feature a Black woman in a leading or supporting role.

Using a similar content analysis strategy as Cox and Ward (2019), a Google search of American dramas featuring Black women leads from 1960 to 2025 was employed, followed by an additional Google search of American dramas featuring Black women in supporting roles from the 1960 to present. From the Google search, the top five drama series that appeared for both leading and supporting roles were put into a randomizer to choose the specific episodes for analysis.

The American drama television shows chosen via randomizer were: (1) I’ll Fly Away (1991-1993), Season 1, Episode 5 and Season 2, Episode 10; (2) St. Elsewhere (1982-1988), Season 6, Episode 21 and Season 4, Episode 3; (3) How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020), Season 2, Episode 9 and Season 6, Episode 11; (4) This Is Us (2016-2022), Season 5, Episode 12 and Season 2, Episode 10; and (5) Euphoria (2022-present), Season 2, Episode 6 and Season 1, Episode 7. Although drama series from the 1960s and 1970s were put into the randomizer, the randomizer selected shows between 1980 and 2025.

After watching two episodes of each drama program, the series were evaluated for six characteristics associated with the Strong Black Woman stereotype: resilient, emotionally tough, independent, nurturing, self-sacrificing and assertive. Resilience occurred when a character overcame a challenge placed upon her. Emotional toughness occurred when a character did not show emotion in a time that viewers would expect. Independence occurred when a character went out on her own or did not accept assistance from others. Nurturing occurred when a character was portrayed as a caregiver or took care of others before herself. Self-sacrificing occurred when a character put someone else’s needs before her own. Assertiveness occurred when a character made monumental decisions with confidence.

In creating the codebook, inductive and deductive reasoning were combined to examine the episodes of content. Deductive reasoning is a “top-down approach, which goes in the opposite direction. It starts with the broad ideas and then seeks out specific observations to support” (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2022, pp. 172). Inductive reasoning is, “the bottom-up method, begins with detailed observations that then are used to generate broader ideas or perspectives on the subject. In other words, it moves from specific observations to general conclusions (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2022, pp. 172). The implementation of both reasoning processes allowed for a cumulative understanding of the patterns and behavioral trends of the Strong Black Woman archetype in American drama series rooted in theory and observation. Each episode was coded and categorized under whether the content perpetuates or challenges the Strong Black Woman stereotype.

IV. Results

The qualitative content analysis identified three overarching themes: primary caretaker and emotional support system for others, expectation of resilience and lack of vulnerability, and hyper-career focus causing social and emotional isolation.

Primary Caretaker and Emotional Support System for Others

One of the pervasive themes within all five American drama television series was the role of a Black woman as the primary caretaker role or support system for others. St. Elsewhere, I’ll Fly Away, How to Get Away with Murder, This Is Us and Euphoria all represented the Black female characters in the role of the sole emotional support system for another character, limiting personal character development and perpetuating self-sacrificing, caregiving expectations of the Strong Black Woman archetype. Historical representation of Black women as mammies and mothers thrusts the assumption of a caretaker is upon Black women. In the selected television shows, these roles of a nurturing caretaker and emotional support system for others is introduced early, framing the character’s purpose around serving others rather than exploring individual interests and characterization.

In St. Elsewhere, the main supporting Black character is Dr. Roxanne Turner, who serves as a healthcare professional in the medical drama. As a healthcare professional, her role revolves around being a primary caretaker for her patients from a medical standpoint, which is often accompanied with being compassionate towards to provide emotional support. In the Season 4 episode, Dr. Turner is faced with a difficult decision of how to help a pregnant woman while preventing additional harm to the mother and child. The pregnant woman is related to a colleague and is carrying the colleague’s grandchild. The final decision ultimately falls to Dr. Turner as she is the obstetrics specialist. She is in the room as the family also identifies their son Stephen’s lifeless body and as Stephen’s mother falls into tears of denial. As she is witnessing this emotional moment, she has to approach the grieving family to ask their thoughts on saving the child.

In this moment, a blunt conversational interaction is all we see of Dr. Turner before she returns to her work. Although, urgency is a factor to consider, it is also important to notice the emotionless reaction Dr. Turner has towards the mother crying over her son. The characterization of Dr. Turner is limited, with her only characterized by her caretaking abilities.

In I’ll Fly Away, the Black female character to focus on is named Lilly Harper, and she works for a White upper-class family as their housekeeper. In the selected episodes, Lilly often only featured onscreen when she is taking care of the family’s children or comforting them in times of sadness or discomfort. Her introductory scene shows her speaking to young children, one of her own and another child that she takes care of as a responsibility of her housekeeping job. The caretaker role was apparent, and the character’s identity revolves around her role as a caretaker, and an emotional support system for those she is surrounded by.

Specifically, there is an instance in which she took the day off to celebrate her birthday with her own family and friends, and the White family’s child John Morgan felt that he was entitled to her presence on her birthday because she is his caretaker, despite her having a young daughter and family of her own.

I want you to know how sorry I am, from the bottom of my heart, that I disappointed you. But you see, as special as you are to me, and me to you, I also have a family at home waiting for me.

The teary-eyed child in Lilly’s arms expects reassurance and relies on her as a caretaker and mother-figure, reinforcing the self-sacrificing negative aspects of the Strong Black Woman archetype. By centering the scene on John Morgan’s distress rather than Lilly’s personal boundaries and emotional needs, the narrative that Black women exist in drama television series to comfort others without reciprocation or consideration from characters is upheld. This exchange between Lilly Harper and John Morgan exemplifies how portrayals of Black women in drama television prioritizes caretaking abilities for others over the caregiver’s needs.

On the other hand, in This Is Us, Beth Pearson’s character is a caretaker to both her husband and children but does have a significant number of individual traits outside of her family that are explored. In the episode from Season 2, Beth fights a custody battle with her foster daughter’s birth mom, and she takes the lead on the process as the primary caretaker. In Season 5, Beth works to connect with her daughter, Tess, to accept her queer identity. Additionally, she supports her husband’s mental health by encouraging him to attend therapy, and when contested she does not back down and instead her opinion is given respect and value by her husband. While the typical caretaker behaviors are present, they are accompanied with in-depth conversations and portrayals of Beth’s inner thoughts and feelings. The addition of this challenges the traditional Strong Black Woman trope because the caretaking qualities do not fully eclipse her sense of self.

Similar to This Is Us, How to Get Away with Murder shows its Black female main character, Annalise Keating, in a caretaker role but gives her depth in ways that do not perpetuate the harmful aspects of the Strong Black Woman archetype. Keating serves as her mother’s primary caretaker because she has dementia and she feels a motherly protection instinct towards her students that comes at her own emotional expense. In a Season 6 conversation with her mother, Annalise comes to understand that her wellbeing is equally important as others, and that she must put herself first. Her mother states:

You never felt protected as a little girl, and now all these years later, you still think you only have you to lean on. No wonder you’re exhausted…You’re trying to be the parent you felt you did not have…but Nathaniel, those students they’re not your children, and you are not their mother. The only one you need to protect from now on is you, Anna Mae.

In response, Annalise acknowledges that the years she has spent prioritizing others has come at her own detriment, and she accepts the moment of vulnerability with her mother. In the moment she conquers the negativity of the caretaker mindset attributed to Strong Black Woman archetype. She understands that her caretaker role extends to herself as well as others.

Euphoria’s perpetration of the primary caretaker and emotional support system for others trait in regard to the Strong Black Woman archetype is displayed in one of its supporting characters, Leslie Bennett. Leslie Bennett is the mother of the main character, Rue. Leslie consistently takes on the emotional burden of her children. Leslie is dealing with her own grief from the death of her husband but is also working to help Rue with her grief and drug addiction, as well as being an emotional support for Rue’s younger sister Gia who has trauma from Rue’s overdose and the death of her father. Leslie serves as the central caregiver to her children, financially and emotionally as they deal with the repercussions of their father’s death and Rue’s addiction and relapse.

In Season 2, Leslie paints a clear picture of the Strong Black Woman archetype by assuming the role of primary caretaker because she is a mother, but also the sole emotional support for her daughters. In a tense moment with her daughters and Rue’s sponsor at the dinner table, we see Leslie practice support with her daughter and sacrifice her own emotional health for the hope of bettering her child’s addiction. In a discussion at the table after doubt has palpated the room, Leslie simply says: “I think we should all support Rue.”

Those words are difficult for Leslie to say, as Rue has been to rehab before without progress, and seemingly everyone else has lost hope in Rue including her sister. In that moment, the drama series has her caregiving appear indefatigable. Leslie confronts her feelings in private, but never in front of her daughter or others. She is not granted emotional support outside of herself, reinforcing the idea that caretaking and emotional toughness at the expense of personal well-being is expected. Leslie is portrayed to be able to endure extreme stress without falter, and endlessly strong with her caregiving to be indefatigable.

In these five drama television series, the caregiver role consistently emerged as a common identity feature of the Black female characters, illustrating how the Strong Black Woman archetype continuously shapes character development and viewer expectations. While St. Elsewhere, I’ll Fly Away, and Euphoria, negatively embrace the trope to have either an emotionless or self-sacrificing under-layer, This Is Us and How to Get Away with Murder combat this by giving Black women additional emotional vulnerability and depth.

Societal Expectations of Resilience and Lack of Vulnerability

The Strong Black Woman character archetype relies on women to meet societal expectations and rebound from hardship quickly, without expressing emotionally vulnerability. The archetype asks women to go through life’s challenges, accept the pressure to remain self-sufficient, and avoid seeking support or leaning on others for help. St. Elsewhere, I’ll Fly Away, How to Get Away with Murder, This Is Us and Euphoria each display characters in situations where emotional toughness and resilience is asked of them at the expense of their mental health and well-being.

Dr. Roxanne Turner in St. Elsewhere displays the societal expectations of resilience and lack of vulnerability of the Strong Black Woman archetype more in her role as an OBGYN than as a Black woman. Dr. Turner is seen briefly in the medical drama series, with limited screentime outside of her practicing medicine. Each time we see Dr. Turner, she is in a high-stress, high-stakes situation in which she is expected to be emotionally tough and levelheaded. Her job as a doctor asks her to make practical decisions with resilience and confidence, without letting emotions get the better of her in a moment. While these traits and actions can be associated with the Strong Black Woman stereotype, in this instance they are a product of her job rather than a perpetuation of the archetype.

Lilly Harper in I’ll Fly Away displays remnants of the “mammy” stereotype in which a Black woman is a domestic servant to a White family, which grants her little emotional exploration and pushes societal expectations of how a Black woman should operate in a predominately White space. The patriarch of the family she is employed by is working through a civil rights legal case, while she herself is also battling with her own internal struggles of being a Black woman in the civil rights era. She is expected to stay emotionally and mentally tough when the Bedford family is discussing issues of civil rights in regard to the legal case, and practice resilience by coming to work with a positive attitude every day no matter what she is struggling with in her own life. Additionally, she is expected to take on the burden of educating the Bedford children on race, without displaying emotional fatigue or being too vulnerable to a point of discomfort for the children.

Although, on the surface, Lilly is placed in a role historically associated with Strong Black Woman stereotype, she speaks to other Black characters regularly to express her true feelings and give herself space to be emotionally vulnerable. Contrary to the traditional Strong Black Woman archetype, Lilly is able to be vulnerable and release the societal pressure to be resilient around her demographic peers, to show viewers what she is going through on her own, separate from her role with the Bedford family.

In This Is Us, Beth Pearson is a modern Black woman who is shaped by traditional aspects of the Strong Black Woman archetype that expect resilience and does not grant space for emotionally vulnerability. In many scenarios, Beth is portrayed as the “strong” one in a moment because of her ability to confront issues that other characters are afraid to. In a Season 5 episode, she confronts her daughter (Tess) about her inappropriate actions with her non-binary friend, Alex, in violation of the family’s house rules. Tess and Beth have an argument that ultimately ends with Tess saying that they will never be as close as they were because of her queer identity.

As Beth contemplates Tess’s words, she confides in her own mother, admitting that she has not let go of all the things she imagined she would get to do with Tess. Beth expresses how much she loves Tess no matter her sexuality but is struggling coming to terms with this new reality. Beth’s mother advises her to allow herself to relinquish the idea of Tess that she anticipated she would see as she grew up, and accept the new version of her, as to not repeat her motherhood mistake. In this emotionally vulnerable moment, Beth’s mother does not shy from her feelings in attempt to appear resilient or emotionally tough, and instead expresses her true, raw emotions saying:

Well, it-it’s more than letting go. You have to adjust. It’s part of being a mother. This is the part where you let go of what you thought would be and adjust to what is…It took me some time to see that. Too much time if you ask me. So, I hope that you will adjust quickly Bethany because time is so precious. You blink and your daughter’s grown, and you’re holed up in her house trying to make up for 20 years of not adjusting.

After this, Beth and her mother sit together in an understanding silence, giving viewers time to take in Beth in a difficult scenario. If the series held on to the idea of a Strong Black Woman, Beth would be expected to be resilient in her response and recover from the situation quickly with little to no emotional reaction. Instead, we see her have an emotionally vulnerable moment with her mother in which she is comforted and given the space to challenge and release expectations of the Strong Black Woman trope.

In How to Get Away with Murder, Annalise Keating is often put into high-stress situations in her occupation as a lawyer and is looked at to solve issues on her own, leading to pent up emotions that psychologically affect her. Other characters on the show look to her to solve the issues and be a resilient leader while not taking into consideration the mental toll it is taking on her to lose her sense of emotional vulnerability to appear “strong” for others.

In a Season 2 episode, Keating is covering up a murder for one of her clients and asks for help from supporting characters. The characters push back against Keating, and she eventually breaks down into confessing certain things she has been keeping from them in an effort to make them shoot her with the murder weapon to tie their false story together before the police arrive. In this confession, Keating mentally breaks down to a point of tears realizing how her actions have negatively affected people in her life that she cares for as she is having intense emotional flashbacks. The moment ends in an emotional outburst of her saying: “I’ve been lying to you over and over. Shoot me. I deserve it, shoot me!”

First introducing Keating as a resilient and emotionally tough character plays into the negative perceptions placed on women thought the Strong Black Woman archetype. However, also displaying the emotional turmoil and vulnerability she has with the audience later in the scene gives a more well-rounded picture of Black women, in a way that shows emotional complexity and the harmful effects of when the Strong Black Woman trope is placed on a character.

In Euphoria, the main character, Rue, is a recovering drug addict who goes through struggles with grief, addition, and strained relationships throughout the drama series. Euphoria embraces Rue’s personal struggles, giving viewers insights into her thoughts and feelings through her narration of each episode. Allowing the audience to hear what she is feeling through her narration brings a new perspective to what goes through the mind of a Black woman who is experiencing grief and battling mental illness. Characters in the show do not understand her feelings and expect her to “push through” or be resilient after enduring trauma, but viewers hearing her inner thoughts and emotions can empathize with her and recognize why she is behaving the way she does. This creates a space for audiences to see Rue’s definition of resilience and vulnerability internally versus what others may see externally.

I’ll Fly Away and St. Elsewhere do not allow their characters to explore additional feeling in difficult scenarios, whereas How to Get Away with Murder, This Is Us and Euphoria allow characters to feel their raw emotions, relinquish the expectation of resilience, and share inner thoughts with the audience in a vulnerable way.

Hyper-Career Focus Causing Social and Emotional Isolation

A defining trait of the Strong Black Woman archetype in television media is hyper independence and over-assertiveness that can come in the form of characters career focus at the expense of building positive, strong relationships. Deeply career-focused Black female characters detrimentally overvalue their work, leading to hyper independence, negative assertiveness and social and emotional isolation.

St. Elsewhere portrays Roxanne Turner in the role of an obstetrics doctor that takes on cases dealing with infertility and pregnancy. In the drama series, she is most often seen inside of the hospital, with her character rarely explored outside of the workplace. Her scenes in the workplace are typically tense, with her having to make fast decisions that require full attention and focus. Her hyper-career focus tells viewers her value comes from how successful she is in her career, rather than her humanistic side outside of the hospital. Contrary to White male characters such as Dr. Phillip Chandler, Roxanne’s personal life is rarely shown in detail, leaving her socially and emotionally isolated from her colleagues. This portrayal leaves audiences with an incomplete understanding of Dr. Turner, reinforcing ideas from the Strong Black Woman trope that a Black woman’s social and emotional side can be neglected because her worth lies within her work and career.

In I’ll Fly Away, the supporting Black female character, Lilly Harper, is career focused in a way that the time period (1950s) required from domestic workers. She is seen at the Bedford family’s house at all times of the day except late at night once the children have gone to bed. It is clear that she likes her job to an extent because of her positive interactions with the Bedford children, but her employment as a domestic worker leads to her being isolated from her own family due to her work hours.

One of the most explicit times this is mentioned is an episode about Lilly Harper’s birthday when the Bedford’s son John Morgan is curious as to why Lilly is not his home with him and is instead taking the day off. It is revealed that Lilly is taking the day off because she wants to spend her 30th birthday with her extended family as well as her young daughter. She hears that John Morgan is upset with this because he intended to throw her a party and was saddened to learn she would not be able to attend. Ultimately, Lilly returns to the Bedford’s home after work hours to console the child as she feels it is her duty. This moment between the two characters shows there is little separation from Lilly’s home and work life and shows the isolation of herself in both halves of her life. Her daughter is shown missing her mother while she is at work and the Bedford children miss Lilly when she is at home with her daughter. This dedication to her career leaves Lilly in social and emotional isolation that the Strong Black Woman archetype perpetuates.

Beth Pearson on This Is Us creates a balance between career and personal life in a way that is healthy for her and her family. In both episodes, she values the time she spends with her family instead of isolating herself from them with her job. In the hour of content gathered for analysis, Beth takes time away from her job to support her daughters when they need her. She takes off of work to attend her foster daughter Deja’s class presentation even after Deja says she does not have to come. She also leaves work early to attend a meeting with the family’s lawyer to discuss what steps they should take to protect Deja when her mother tries to take her without the permission of the child services workers. These instances show Beth’s commitment to her family over her job and display how a Black female character can prioritize those they care about over their work, preventing her from being portrayed as an emotionally secluded. This instead shows the humanity Black women characters can have outside of Strong Black Woman stereotype that ties them to their work and isolation.

How to Get Away with Murder is an example of the Strong Black Woman archetype applied to a character in terms of having a laser-focus on career that isolates fer socially and emotionally from others. Viola Davis’s character, Annalise Keating, works as a defense attorney as well as college professor, giving her little time to have a life that does not revolve around her jobs. She is not able to escape either world or have a place of sanctuary because she ties her identity and self-worth to her success, becoming the driving force of her emotional and social isolation.

There are small moments throughout in which Annalise seeks to determine if the drive she has towards her career has cost her too much of her life and happiness. This contemplation addresses the importance of building social support bonds and having time for emotional reflection.

In Euphoria, Leslie Bennett is seen less often than other characters presumably because of her work schedule. It is briefly mentioned that she has to work two jobs to financially support her daughters, but no more is said on the topic. Her value to her family is based on her career, but she is also relied on emotionally by both her daughters. Rue relies on Leslie to be her emotional support for her mental illness, while Gia needs Leslie to help her process her grief of losing her father and slowly losing her sister to addiction. Contrary to the Strong Black Woman archetype, Leslie Bennett’s worth is more dependent on her emotional support for her daughters, rather than her career.

I’ll Fly Away, St. Elsewhere and How to Get Away with Murder perpetuate the hyper-career focus and isolation aspect of the Strong Black Woman archetype by showing women’s value through their career, whereas This Is Us and Euphoria expand on the characters outside of their work and does not place their value on their career.

V. Discussion

Upon examination of these series, traits associated with the Strong Black Woman archetype – including resilience, emotional toughness, independence, nurturing, self-sacrificing and assertiveness – were attributed in past and contemporary portrayals of Black women. The content analysis found common characteristics and identities among the women shown in the selected American drama televisions series: primary caretaker and emotional support system for others, facing societal expectations of resilience and lack of vulnerability, and hyper-career focus causing social and emotional isolation. Each of these themes hold significance and insight into evolution of the Strong Black Woman archetype’s change over the past 45 years.

The “resilient one” SBW stereotype positions the woman as someone who is inherently strong and does not need the help of others to support her emotionally, mental-health wise or with material things. This idea of endless resilience without fatigue is a core aspect of the Strong Black Woman archetype, that has persisted over the past six decades. I’ll Fly Away and St. Elsewhere show their Black female characters being strong in scenarios that are emotionally draining and would be a challenge to be focused on for other characters, however for these Black women it is pushed aside, and they are expected to take on the challenges on their own without support. The post-2000 dramas also perpetuate the idea of resilience, but they are improved in the way audiences are able to understand and sympathize with what the woman is going through. The added narration by the characters themselves and allowing audiences to witness emotional breakdowns and vulnerability gives Black women the agency to defy the stereotype and audience the capacity to reflect on how Black women should be supported.

Each of the five randomly selected American drama series represented a Black female character in a caretaking role contributing to the persistence of self-sacrificing, nurturing as a default trait. The persistence of self-sacrificial caregiving as a default trait underscores the ongoing influence of this stereotype. By situating Black women as emotional anchors for others while often limiting their own narrative autonomy, American television continues to cultivate and reinforce cultural assumptions about their inherent strength, resilience, and availability. Although modern portrayals give women other roles in addition to their caretaking simply, these portrayals demonstrate the need for more complex, balanced depictions that allow Black female characters to exist beyond their service to others and to occupy space as fully realized, multidimensional individuals.

The research found that while American drama television series have improved in the societal roles Black women play in entertainment, the core characteristics and traits associated with the Strong Black Woman archetype remain stagnant. Following the recurring themes of characteristics attributed to Black women from early representations of the Strong Black Woman archetype, including traits of resilience, emotional toughness, independence, nurturing, self-sacrificing and assertiveness, contemporary drama series are shifting these traits to offer more authentic representations of Black women. The Black women characters in all five series used for analysis had the above traits, however, there was more multidimensionality of these traits in modern television series in comparison to shows from before 2000. Lilly Harper and Dr. Turner from I’ll Fly Away and St. Elsewhere were limited in their narrative complexity, with their depictions being simplistic. This Is Us, How to Get Away with Murder, and Euphoria displayed the traits but challenged typical portrayals in a way that offered additional insight into what the women were experiencing, giving them emotional depth and vulnerability. This calls into question the types of representations broadcasted to larger audiences, and how it impacts the way Black women embody these traits in society. Publicly visible representations of the Strong Black Woman archetype characteristics often conform to a previous standard, creating a form of “model Black womanhood,” shaping a version of Black female identity considered to be acceptable by mainstream audiences. While older dramas perpetuate those standards, modern American drama series are challenging the characteristics through complex character constructions.

VI. Conclusion

This study discovered that the Strong Black Woman archetype in American drama television series is moving toward a more open-minded view of roles and representations, attempting to consider intersectional identities, atypical societal roles, and more expression of vulnerable emotions and raw reactions. There is a motivation and demand for more content representing the Strong Black Woman archetype in a transformed way that allows characters to expand on their emotions and authentically present the demographic of women. Additionally, the strength of the Strong Black Woman archetype is relative to the year the television show was released. Stricter depictions of the Strong Black Woman archetype that adhere to stereotypical traits and roles were found in television shows released before 2000, whereas more expansive depictions of the Strong Black Woman stereotype were found in shows released after 2000.

The limitation of the study was the sample size. Ideally, at least one American drama series from earlier in the 20th century would have been included in the sample to get a more well-rounded view of the Strong Black Woman trope in the early years of television. Additionally, a larger sample size should be employed for future research as well as multiple coders. Future research may consider how Black female characters are represented in American films. It may also consider portrayals in international cinema, to understand how Black female representation differentiates across global media distribution.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Professor Dan Haygood, for his guidance throughout my research process. His passion for research and eagerness to help his students is something I will always admire. There are many lessons I learned from Dr. Haygood that I will carry into my future career after I graduate from Elon. Thank you to all of my professors and mentors from the past four years; I am so incredibly thankful for each one of you and your support, guidance, and belief in me.

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