Miss Ann

For the former US Navy patrol boat, see USS Aquamarine. For the album by Wayne Horvitz and Pigpen, see Miss Ann (album).

Miss Ann is an expression used inside the African-American community to refer to a European-American woman (or sometimes a black woman) who is arrogant and condescending in her attitude.

The characteristics associated with someone called a "Miss Ann" include being considered "uppity", or in the case of a black woman, "acting white".[1]

Like the male counterpart term Mister Charlie, the term Miss Ann was once common among many African-Americans. It was a pejorative way of commenting on imperious behaviour from white women, particularly when it came with racist undertones. It is seldom used among young African-Americans today, instead the term Karen has come into further usage amongst people of all races in the United States.[2]

Miss Anne: “A White Woman”
—Zora Neale Hurston, Glossary of Harlem Slang

Ann; Miss Ann: Coded term for any white female. [i.e.] “His mama washes clothes on Wednesday for Miss Ann.”
—Clarence Major, From Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang

Ann: (1) A derisive term for a white woman ... Also “Miss Ann.”
—Geneva Smitherman, Black Talk

Miss Ann and Mister Eddie: Emancipated bluebloods.
—Emmanuel Taylor Gordon, Born to Be

"I’d remind them please, look at those knees, you got at Miss Ann’s scrubbing."
–Maya Angelou, Sepia Fashion Show[3]

"Oh, oh, oh, Miss Ann, you're doing something no one can…"
–"Miss Ann" song by Little Richard. Here the singer may be referring to the white woman, Ann Johnson, who mothered him as a young teenager, twisting the standard connotation in ambiguous ways.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Crawford, Bertho, Michelle, and Beverley; Fogarty, Edward A. (2008). The Impact of Globalization on the United States: Culture and Society. Vol. 1. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 208. ISBN 9780275991821.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Jaynes, Gerald David (2005). Encyclopedia of African American Society. Vol. 2. Sage Publications. p. 551. ISBN 9780761927648.
  3. ^ Kaplan, Carla. Miss Anne in Harlem. New York: Harper, 2013. ISBN 0060882387
  4. ^ Lhamon, W.T. (1985). "Little Richard as a Folk Performer". Studies in Popular Culture. 8 (2): 7–17. ISSN 0888-5753. JSTOR 23412946.