The Real World: New Orleans' Melissa Beck looks back at being pigeonholed as “The Angry Black Woman" before social media

Vox

The reality star formerly known as Melissa Howard, who is half Asian and half Black, was sent attacks via email back when Real World: New Orleans aired in 2000. “For months, I was called racist, that I’m race-obsessed, that I’m race-baiting,” she said. “Every racist thing that could be hurled toward me was, and I don’t think that as a cast — because we hadn’t kept in touch with each other over the years — they understood that perspective or the impact that had on my life.” As Vox's Alex Abad-Santos points out, Beck easily became part of "The Angry Black Woman" stereotype. "Because she was seen as inherently rage-filled — an Angry Black Woman — anything she criticized became easy to dismiss, whether it was a situation that’s plainly racist like the one on the boat or her business dispute with Julie.," says Abad-Santos, adding that "sustained, harmful pop culture portrayals... generate real-world bias with real-world effects. Studies have shown that the Angry Black Woman stereotype has led to Black women receiving negative performance evaluations at work, less effective mental health treatment, and discrimination during maternity care." ALSO: Danny Roberts reflects on being considered "a gay sex symbol zapped into the basement rec rooms of teenagers who had never encountered such a creature."