Society Has Trained Black and Latinx Girls to Only See Their Worth Through Their Bodies

A 2017 study, co-authored by Jamilia Blake, a professor from Texas A&M University, and Rebecca Epstein of the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown University Law Center, found that Black girls between the ages of 5 and 9 are perceived as being much older than they actually are. And, when compared to white girls of the same age, the study suggested Black girls needed less protection, less support and comfort, and knew more about adult topics, like sex.