The Physical Toll of Perfectionism: "Black Don't Crack," But Our Insides Are Weathering

In our last post, we introduced perfectionism as a survival strategy rooted in the Strong Black Woman schema. We perform strength to protect ourselves, but what is that performance doing to our health?

They say, “Black don’t crack,” a testament to our enduring beauty and resilience. But what that phrase often means in practice is that we women of color are expected to perform a kind of militant self-harm to maintain a perfect exterior. From the lye on our hair to make it lay, to the skin-fading cream to make us fairer, and the we have been taught to hold our outward presentation as the primary tool of success and survival.

But I have a question… “What them insides doin’?”

If we’re being honest, the data on health outcomes for Black women show that we are more than cracking on the inside. There is a scientific concept for this internal erosion: the Weathering Hypothesis. Developed by public health researcher Dr. Arline Geronimus, whose hypothesis confirms that the chronic stress from navigating systemic racism and daily microaggressions creates a cumulative "wear and tear" on our bodies. This constant state of high alert leads to accelerated biological aging and the earlier onset of chronic diseases.

The cortisol from this constant stress is, quite literally, killing us. The numbers don't lie:

• Black women are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, a disparity that persists across all income and education levels.
• Despite a lower rate of diagnosis, Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.
• We suffer the highest mortality rate from heart disease and are significantly more likely to have uncontrolled high blood pressure, a direct consequence of chronic stress.

This reveals a devastating feedback loop. The societal pressures create the need for the Strong Black Woman performance. This state of constant hypervigilance creates chronic stress. This chronic stress then causes physiological "weathering," which manifests as the dire health outcomes we see in the data. Perfectionism isn't just making you miserable—it is actively harming your body.

In our next post, we’ll explore how this dynamic shows up in our relationships and communities, turning our greatest strength into a cage.

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