Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Sociology
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
In recent years, there has been growing online discourse within the Black community around biracial and multiracial identities. One prominent conversation within that discourse explores the similarities and differences between Black-White biracial folks: those who have Black mothers/White fathers and those who have Black fathers/White mothers. In dialogue that co-occurs in-person and online, these two distinct biracial archetypes have been described as “blackmommabiracials" and “ytmommabiracials.” The “blackmommabiracial” is posited online as the culturally-superior, confident biracial person who is typically more organically proximal to Blackness. The “ytmommabiracial” is usually posited as the culturally-inferior and perpetually in-crisis biracial person, clamoring unsuccessfully toward Blackness and/or Whiteness. As it takes shape in the Tik Tok discourse, these stratified Black-White biracial archetypes are informed not only by patterns of users’ observations about biracial identities, but also about the racial-sexual politics of the interracial pairings which create them (Hill Collins 2004; Yancey & Lewis 2009). Through qualitative content analysis of 129 Tik Tok videos, I explore the central themes within the “blackmommabiracial v. ytmommabiracial” discourse, as well as how ytmommabiracial content creators engage with the predominantly negative stereotypes about their racial parentage and resulting racial experiences. Overall, ytmommabiracial content creators largely affirm their Black/biracial counterparts’ critiques about themselves and their parents, particularly of their White moms (“ytmoms”). However, they occasionally resist and/or complicate persistent ytmommabiracial archetypal markers. In both approaches to handling hierarchical constructions of Black-White biracialness, which stigmatize Whiteness and position ytmommabiracials as culturally inferior, ytmommabiracial content creators use humor and vulnerable disclosure. These uses of humor and vulnerability allow ytmommabiracial content creators to attempt to re-establish positive Black and/or Black-biracial reference group orientation (Hill & Thomas 2002), building community in the process. These patterns suggest that studying biracial stratification processes is important, as it reveals the nuances of intra-group stigma and seemingly slippery notions of racial il/legitimacy as they function in the Black community. These characteristics are pertinent as they shape how we approach community-building and collaboration for the most pressing issues we face as a group.
Date
1-19-2026
Recommended Citation
Mattox-Simon, Savannah M., "HOW ‘WHITE-MOMMA/BLACK-DAD BIRACIAL’ CONTENT CREATORS APPROACH IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT & RACIAL SELF-ARTICULATION ON TIK TOK" (2026). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6987.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6987
Committee Chair
Becker, Sarah A.
Included in
Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social Media Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons