The Drawbacks of “Black Don’t Crack”

In a 2023 article published in Sociological Perspectives and another in the Winter 2024 issue of Contexts, Associate Professor of Sociology and Comparative American Studies Alicia Smith-Tran ’10 explored the results of her study that investigated the concept of “Black don’t crack”—the idea that Black women defy aging by, for example, having wrinkle-free skin. She found that for Black women, being regarded as “too young” within their workplaces made successes more difficult to achieve. 

“Even though media tells us we should look younger, whether your perceived age is beneficial or detrimental depends on your other social identities,” Smith-Tran explains. “The women I talked to are not only combating sexism and racism—gendered racism—in the workplace. They’re also making the effort to mitigate how people perceive their professional legitimacy. It’s a huge mental load.” 

Her study, funded through an Institute for Citizens & Scholars Career Enhancement Fellowship, emerged in part from personal experiences. In a previous professorial position, another faculty member mistook her for an undergraduate student. In another instance, she overheard her father suggesting that her mother reveal her age to coworkers in a majority-white office in an effort to be taken more seriously. 

“A lot of my research comes from events in my day-to-day life,” Smith-Tran notes. “Things that occur on an individual level aren’t just happening to us. They can actually be the product of troubling systemic processes.”  

Smith-Tran interviewed 18 middle-class Black women about their career experiences around age in the workplace. All of the interviewees regularly dealt with the burden of wondering whether a lack of promotions and respect were due to race, gender, age—or the intersection of all these factors. 

Through direct comments, the women were profoundly aware that some fellow employees perceived them as younger and therefore less capable. For example, administrative colleagues called a middle-aged Black interviewee named Alexis “little girl” due to her youthful appearance. Such infantilization was taxing, leaving the women feeling undervalued. In response, many mentioned their ages, children, and grandchildren in a bid to be taken seriously in the workplace. 

Many of the interviewees also strategically modified their identities to avoid appearing youthful to their coworkers. Some avoided braided hairstyles that might make them look younger. A few were relieved that each strand of gray hair signaled advanced age and expertise in their professions. Other interviewees reported intentionally dressing more formally to avoid being stereotyped as young and inexperienced. Naima, a 26-year-old content editor, bought professional clothes for a workplace with a very casual dress code after her boss complained about “people in her generation.” Having to purchase different clothes also placed an additional financial burden on Naima, Smith-Tran observed.

“There’s already research about people being strategic about self-presentation at work,” Smith-Tran said. “But we haven’t seen much about Black women intentionally presenting as older or the entanglement of these particular prejudices and their mental toll. It’s unfortunate that they have to make these decisions every day, but their strategies are so creative and brilliant.” 

Smith-Tran also noted the irony that even as Black women achieve a celebrated aesthetic goal, they age faster biologically than white women. Stress and discrimination literally weather Black women’s chromosomes, causing higher levels of chronic illness and premature mortality. 

Many of her interviewees were surprised by the study. They had spent years working to project authority, but some had never talked about their strategies. Knowing that other women were going through the same experiences made them feel less alone. 

Smith-Tran envisions her research informing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—and, in particular, hopes her study inspires other researchers working with social institutions on diversity initiatives to consider the influences of ageism as well as race and gender. 

In future projects, Smith-Tran plans to explore neurodiversity and disability as marginalizing aspects of people’s daily lives. She’s committed to making her Oberlin classes as accessible as possible, and she’s dedicated to examining the intersections among health, race, and interactions with the medical establishment.

As an undergraduate, Smith-Tran received a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, which exists to diversify college faculty and support marginalized scholars. Today, she mentors current students in the program. 

“My husband and I both went to Oberlin, so joining the faculty was like coming home to me,” Smith-Tran says. “Being around faculty who supported my ideas during my undergraduate years helped inform my idea that research can help us understand the undercurrents of society and help people live better lives.”