Girls’ Violence in the Matrix of Domination: Skin Tone, Femininities, and Dignity Challenges

Qualitative research on Black girls’ violent delinquency concentrates on how girls navigate the matrix of domination in crafting gendered identities and reputations that provide a sense of safety and dignity and that prove relevant for violence. Despite evidence that variations in skin tone structure Black girls’ lives and gender identities in ways that inform behavior, quantitative analyses have not focused on documenting relationships between skin tone, feminine identities, and violence. This article extends the choice within constraints framework to consider how skin tone shapes across and within race differences in gender identities, racialized and gendered reputational challenges, and violence. Hypotheses from the framework are tested using data from a southeastern middle school and mediation regression analysis. The findings reveal that dark-complexioned Black girls are more likely than light-complexioned Black girls and White girls to engage in violence. Differences in violent delinquency between light-complexioned Black girls and White girls are negligible. Skin tone differentials in violence between Black girls with dark and light complexions are explained by structural disadvantages. Differences between dark-complexioned Black girls and White girls are explained by resilient feminine identities and gendered and racialized reputational challenges, supporting the choice within constraints framework.