“Big Black Cocks” & Interracial Attraction
Rundberg, I. “Big Black Cocks” & Interracial Attraction. A quantitative study on stereotypes in
pornography & Black men’s sexualities. Master degree thesis in Sexology. 30 högskolepoäng.
Malmö University: Faculty of Health and Society, Department of Social Work, 2023.
Abstract
The portrayed, stereotypical sexuality of the Black man in pornography is nothing short of
extraordinary when it comes to stamina, skill and performance. The stereotype of the “Big Black
Cock” and its impact on sexual partners is widely known by consumers of pornography but what
impact does the depiction of it have on Black men and their sexual performances in real life?
This thesis aims to examine, through a quantitative approach, if and how the tendency towards
conforming to the stereotype of the “Big Black Cock”, makes an impact on the sex life of the
participant and if it also brings about a perception of a societal expectation of being attracted to
White women. It presents and discusses, through the lens of intersectionality, data collected from
an online, anonymous survey directed at heterosexual, self-identifying Black men that was open
for participation during late 2021 and early 2022. 84 participants in total answered the survey
and after a first screening was made in accordance with the demarcations of this thesis, 72
participants remained ranging in age between 20 and 47 years old with an average of 31,57 years
old. 53,5% of the respondents stated that they live in Africa, 39,4% stated Europe and 7% in
other areas which included countries like India, USA and Cuba. The results show that a higher
tendency towards identifying with the stereotype, correlates with the perception of a strong,
sexual performance in real life as well as with experiencing societal expectations of being
sexually attracted to White women. The conclusion of this thesis is therefore that although the
stereotype is problematic in many ways, it serves as empowering for those that identify with it
but that more in-depth research is needed to fully understand and dismantle the multi-layered,
stereotypical sexuality of “the Black man”.
1. Introduction
1.1 Preface
In my late teenage years I found myself increasingly attracted to Men of Color and during the
course of this Master degree program in sexology, I’ve contemplated many times how and why
that came about. I was raised in a small, rural village in the south of Sweden, where the majority
of people were white and I was never really exposed to many Black people - the utmost foreign
heritage I came across as a ***********, were people from the eastern parts of Europe, mostly from
the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Foreigners but still White ones.
Moving to the big city of Gothenburg in my early twenties became, in hindsight, a big shift in
my dating experiences since predominantly Black men started to show interest in me and
someone wise told me once that “whatever loves you, you should love it right back”.
As often happens, events or situations in our lives tend to influence how we view the
world and my own path crossing with “the Black Man” and his sexuality started well over a
decade ago and has led me to this point in time - where I’ve chosen to try and understand him
better through research and science. It has been somewhat of a roller coaster in many aspects, but
my hopes are that this thesis, and all those that may come after, will contribute to a better
understanding of, and a deeper knowledge about Black men, their construction of their
sexualities and the navigation through a society that has spent most of its energy not on building
them up but on breaking them down. If nothing else, I owe it to my ******** who descend from
the Western parts of Africa via the Caribbean to the cold, far North that is Sweden.
I do this for them, and those that are to come after them.
1.2 Background
Pornography as we know it today, has been a hot topic in societal discourses and on social media
in Sweden for the past few years. There’s a loud voice in society that implies that pornography is
harmful to the consumer as well as to the people producing and starring in it, but from a scientific
point of view, the results of available research is not unanimously agreeing to that claim (Brown,
2017). Personal testimonies from people on social media show a frustration towards the harsh tone
in societal discussions and many also express frustration and shame when being honest and open
about viewing - and enjoying - pornography.
During the last decade or so, we’ve seen a rise in political movements such as MeToo and
Black Lives Matters where people get together to shine light on, and fight injustice and
discrimination against certain groups amongst us (Dreier, 2020). The latter of these examples
touches ground with the research in this thesis seeing that some pornography has been accused of
depicting racial stereotypes and reinforcing objectification between Black people more so than
amongst White ones. It’s also said to show increased levels of violence and power abuse as well
as portraying “the Black man” as hypersexual, aggressive and lacking the ability to show
emotions and intimacy (Fritz et al., 2021).
These two areas - pornography and Black men’s sexualities - therefore need additional
knowledge and in-depth research brought to light to further gain insight into both harmful
stereotypes being reinforced and how to prevent this, as well as potential positive effects that
Black men experience with these stereotypes. The aim of this thesis is thus also to reinforce the
opportunity for Black men to own and execute power and influence over the narrative that surrounds them and hopefully, my data will showcase their voices although the interpretation of
the results will be through the lens of my White, female gaze.
To clarify the use of “the Black man” and “Black men” in this thesis, they are used first
and foremost to refer to the participants of this study or when talking about the chosen stereotype
previously mentioned, but can sometimes also refer to society’s wider perception of people of
color, which then refers to the constructed, social category of race and its classification of
people. This thesis does not aim to make universal claims of trying to know or understand how
every Black man out there relates to porn or pornographic stereotypes about him, but merely
seeks to make a small contribution to a field of research that is highly neglected - through a small
sample of participants.
1.3 Definitions of importance
To be able to follow and understand the interpretations of the results as well as the conclusions
being made in this thesis, a clarification on definitions of importance is necessary.
When pornography or ‘porn’ is being mentioned in this thesis, the definition it refers to
is this:
“A representation of sexual behavior in books, pictures, statues, films, and other media that is
intended to cause sexual excitement. [… ] The word pornography, derived from the Greek porni
(“prostitute”) and graphein (“to write”), was originally defined as any work of art or literature
depicting the life of prostitutes”. (Jenkins, 2021)
This definition is commonly used by both scholars and ordinary people and is sometimes also
used together with the distinction between “pornography” and “erotica” where the latter is
perceived as a softer and generally more accepted presentation of sexually arousing material
(ibid).
In this thesis, the definition of sexuality is equal to the World Health Organization’s
(WHO) definition of sexuality from 2006 as; ‘a central aspect’ of our experiences that includes
“sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and
reproduction.” (WHO, 2006). It is also stated that sexuality is not limited to sexual intercourse
and can be experienced through various forms of intimacy, as well as “thoughts, fantasies,
desires, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, practices, roles, and relationships” (ibid).
To refer to my participants and also when talking about who is the main focus of this
thesis, I use the term Black man/men/male to describe who I’m referring to. The term “Black
man” can have different meanings in different contexts but the definition referred to in this thesis
is “a person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose a*****ors came from Africa)” (The
free dictionary, 2022). I use the term White when speaking specifically about people of
Caucausian and/or European descent.
“BBC”, in the world of pornography, is an acronym for “Big Black Cock”, which refers
to the genitalia of a Black man that is considered bigger than the average1
(Veale et al., 2015).
The “BBC”-term can be found on Usenet forums in the 1990s, especially in reference to white
women or white gay men being the counterpart and the acronym spread during the early 2000s
as internet becomes more common and pornography more accessible (Cuckold Club, 2021). It is believed that the term “BBC” was invented by White people as black people tend to use the word
“dick” and not “cock” when referring to the male genitalia (Street, 2017). Culturally, the “BBC”
can be considered both problematic and with a positive connotation because it is a masculine
fetishization of a large penis as a sign of sexual and social power. It is deeply rooted in racist
fears of black men being hypersexual, violent, animalistic, and cartoonishly well-endowed
sexual predators, sometimes also portrayed as out to **** White women (Cuckold Club, 2021).
On the positive side, it is commonly a sign of masculinity and potency in today’s society which
could be a reason as to why men in general don’t see the stereotype as problematic but rather as
an asset tied to their identity (Butler, 2022).
In theory, interracial porn should refer to sex between people of different races - but in
reality it doesn’t. The term “interracial”, within modern pornography, has a much different
connotation where the term denotes Black and White and refers mostly to Black men/White
women action (Snow, 2017). In contemporary porn it is common to feature black men
cuckolding White women which means a Black man is portrayed as a superior masculine (Bull)
that sleeps with a White man’s (Cuckold) woman (Hotwife) to satisfy her and sometimes to
humiliate the cuckold (Cuckold Club, 2021) but it can also simply refer to other types of action
between one or several Black men and (most often) a White woman. This might be considered
racist, and it probably would be in any other area, but in porn where the portrayal of people’s
fantasies is a priority, the distinctions aren’t as clear (Snow, 2017). In this thesis, interracial is
used to describe the potential sexual attraction and/or sexual interaction between Black, male
respondents and White women and is therefore also used to reference the pornographic
stereotype that I aim to examine.
Traditionally the term “stereotype” has been defined as “overgeneralized attributes
associated with the members of a social group (such as the reserved English or the geeky
engineer), with the implication that it applies to all group members” (Hinton, 2000). In this
thesis, the above mentioned pornographic stereotypes of “BBC” and “Interracial” have been the
main focus of examination but a deeper walk through of the term stereotype is presented further
down in this paper.
Sexual identification has been included in this thesis to serve the purpose of narrowing
down the number of people that could participate seeing that my main focus was to take a closer
look at Black, heterosexual men that consume pornography. Sexual identification here means
that the potential participants think of themselves as men, mainly sexually and romantically
attracted to women, hence being labeled heterosexual (APA, 2008).
pornography & Black men’s sexualities. Master degree thesis in Sexology. 30 högskolepoäng.
Malmö University: Faculty of Health and Society, Department of Social Work, 2023.
Abstract
The portrayed, stereotypical sexuality of the Black man in pornography is nothing short of
extraordinary when it comes to stamina, skill and performance. The stereotype of the “Big Black
Cock” and its impact on sexual partners is widely known by consumers of pornography but what
impact does the depiction of it have on Black men and their sexual performances in real life?
This thesis aims to examine, through a quantitative approach, if and how the tendency towards
conforming to the stereotype of the “Big Black Cock”, makes an impact on the sex life of the
participant and if it also brings about a perception of a societal expectation of being attracted to
White women. It presents and discusses, through the lens of intersectionality, data collected from
an online, anonymous survey directed at heterosexual, self-identifying Black men that was open
for participation during late 2021 and early 2022. 84 participants in total answered the survey
and after a first screening was made in accordance with the demarcations of this thesis, 72
participants remained ranging in age between 20 and 47 years old with an average of 31,57 years
old. 53,5% of the respondents stated that they live in Africa, 39,4% stated Europe and 7% in
other areas which included countries like India, USA and Cuba. The results show that a higher
tendency towards identifying with the stereotype, correlates with the perception of a strong,
sexual performance in real life as well as with experiencing societal expectations of being
sexually attracted to White women. The conclusion of this thesis is therefore that although the
stereotype is problematic in many ways, it serves as empowering for those that identify with it
but that more in-depth research is needed to fully understand and dismantle the multi-layered,
stereotypical sexuality of “the Black man”.
1. Introduction
1.1 Preface
In my late teenage years I found myself increasingly attracted to Men of Color and during the
course of this Master degree program in sexology, I’ve contemplated many times how and why
that came about. I was raised in a small, rural village in the south of Sweden, where the majority
of people were white and I was never really exposed to many Black people - the utmost foreign
heritage I came across as a ***********, were people from the eastern parts of Europe, mostly from
the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Foreigners but still White ones.
Moving to the big city of Gothenburg in my early twenties became, in hindsight, a big shift in
my dating experiences since predominantly Black men started to show interest in me and
someone wise told me once that “whatever loves you, you should love it right back”.
As often happens, events or situations in our lives tend to influence how we view the
world and my own path crossing with “the Black Man” and his sexuality started well over a
decade ago and has led me to this point in time - where I’ve chosen to try and understand him
better through research and science. It has been somewhat of a roller coaster in many aspects, but
my hopes are that this thesis, and all those that may come after, will contribute to a better
understanding of, and a deeper knowledge about Black men, their construction of their
sexualities and the navigation through a society that has spent most of its energy not on building
them up but on breaking them down. If nothing else, I owe it to my ******** who descend from
the Western parts of Africa via the Caribbean to the cold, far North that is Sweden.
I do this for them, and those that are to come after them.
1.2 Background
Pornography as we know it today, has been a hot topic in societal discourses and on social media
in Sweden for the past few years. There’s a loud voice in society that implies that pornography is
harmful to the consumer as well as to the people producing and starring in it, but from a scientific
point of view, the results of available research is not unanimously agreeing to that claim (Brown,
2017). Personal testimonies from people on social media show a frustration towards the harsh tone
in societal discussions and many also express frustration and shame when being honest and open
about viewing - and enjoying - pornography.
During the last decade or so, we’ve seen a rise in political movements such as MeToo and
Black Lives Matters where people get together to shine light on, and fight injustice and
discrimination against certain groups amongst us (Dreier, 2020). The latter of these examples
touches ground with the research in this thesis seeing that some pornography has been accused of
depicting racial stereotypes and reinforcing objectification between Black people more so than
amongst White ones. It’s also said to show increased levels of violence and power abuse as well
as portraying “the Black man” as hypersexual, aggressive and lacking the ability to show
emotions and intimacy (Fritz et al., 2021).
These two areas - pornography and Black men’s sexualities - therefore need additional
knowledge and in-depth research brought to light to further gain insight into both harmful
stereotypes being reinforced and how to prevent this, as well as potential positive effects that
Black men experience with these stereotypes. The aim of this thesis is thus also to reinforce the
opportunity for Black men to own and execute power and influence over the narrative that surrounds them and hopefully, my data will showcase their voices although the interpretation of
the results will be through the lens of my White, female gaze.
To clarify the use of “the Black man” and “Black men” in this thesis, they are used first
and foremost to refer to the participants of this study or when talking about the chosen stereotype
previously mentioned, but can sometimes also refer to society’s wider perception of people of
color, which then refers to the constructed, social category of race and its classification of
people. This thesis does not aim to make universal claims of trying to know or understand how
every Black man out there relates to porn or pornographic stereotypes about him, but merely
seeks to make a small contribution to a field of research that is highly neglected - through a small
sample of participants.
1.3 Definitions of importance
To be able to follow and understand the interpretations of the results as well as the conclusions
being made in this thesis, a clarification on definitions of importance is necessary.
When pornography or ‘porn’ is being mentioned in this thesis, the definition it refers to
is this:
“A representation of sexual behavior in books, pictures, statues, films, and other media that is
intended to cause sexual excitement. [… ] The word pornography, derived from the Greek porni
(“prostitute”) and graphein (“to write”), was originally defined as any work of art or literature
depicting the life of prostitutes”. (Jenkins, 2021)
This definition is commonly used by both scholars and ordinary people and is sometimes also
used together with the distinction between “pornography” and “erotica” where the latter is
perceived as a softer and generally more accepted presentation of sexually arousing material
(ibid).
In this thesis, the definition of sexuality is equal to the World Health Organization’s
(WHO) definition of sexuality from 2006 as; ‘a central aspect’ of our experiences that includes
“sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and
reproduction.” (WHO, 2006). It is also stated that sexuality is not limited to sexual intercourse
and can be experienced through various forms of intimacy, as well as “thoughts, fantasies,
desires, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, practices, roles, and relationships” (ibid).
To refer to my participants and also when talking about who is the main focus of this
thesis, I use the term Black man/men/male to describe who I’m referring to. The term “Black
man” can have different meanings in different contexts but the definition referred to in this thesis
is “a person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose a*****ors came from Africa)” (The
free dictionary, 2022). I use the term White when speaking specifically about people of
Caucausian and/or European descent.
“BBC”, in the world of pornography, is an acronym for “Big Black Cock”, which refers
to the genitalia of a Black man that is considered bigger than the average1
(Veale et al., 2015).
The “BBC”-term can be found on Usenet forums in the 1990s, especially in reference to white
women or white gay men being the counterpart and the acronym spread during the early 2000s
as internet becomes more common and pornography more accessible (Cuckold Club, 2021). It is believed that the term “BBC” was invented by White people as black people tend to use the word
“dick” and not “cock” when referring to the male genitalia (Street, 2017). Culturally, the “BBC”
can be considered both problematic and with a positive connotation because it is a masculine
fetishization of a large penis as a sign of sexual and social power. It is deeply rooted in racist
fears of black men being hypersexual, violent, animalistic, and cartoonishly well-endowed
sexual predators, sometimes also portrayed as out to **** White women (Cuckold Club, 2021).
On the positive side, it is commonly a sign of masculinity and potency in today’s society which
could be a reason as to why men in general don’t see the stereotype as problematic but rather as
an asset tied to their identity (Butler, 2022).
In theory, interracial porn should refer to sex between people of different races - but in
reality it doesn’t. The term “interracial”, within modern pornography, has a much different
connotation where the term denotes Black and White and refers mostly to Black men/White
women action (Snow, 2017). In contemporary porn it is common to feature black men
cuckolding White women which means a Black man is portrayed as a superior masculine (Bull)
that sleeps with a White man’s (Cuckold) woman (Hotwife) to satisfy her and sometimes to
humiliate the cuckold (Cuckold Club, 2021) but it can also simply refer to other types of action
between one or several Black men and (most often) a White woman. This might be considered
racist, and it probably would be in any other area, but in porn where the portrayal of people’s
fantasies is a priority, the distinctions aren’t as clear (Snow, 2017). In this thesis, interracial is
used to describe the potential sexual attraction and/or sexual interaction between Black, male
respondents and White women and is therefore also used to reference the pornographic
stereotype that I aim to examine.
Traditionally the term “stereotype” has been defined as “overgeneralized attributes
associated with the members of a social group (such as the reserved English or the geeky
engineer), with the implication that it applies to all group members” (Hinton, 2000). In this
thesis, the above mentioned pornographic stereotypes of “BBC” and “Interracial” have been the
main focus of examination but a deeper walk through of the term stereotype is presented further
down in this paper.
Sexual identification has been included in this thesis to serve the purpose of narrowing
down the number of people that could participate seeing that my main focus was to take a closer
look at Black, heterosexual men that consume pornography. Sexual identification here means
that the potential participants think of themselves as men, mainly sexually and romantically
attracted to women, hence being labeled heterosexual (APA, 2008).
4 meses atrás