Exploring significant instances of black and African American history, culture, and experiences within the United States, Theresa Newsome examines how these events and historical narratives have had long-lasting effects on her own culture and identity, both from a personal and universal perspective. Throughout history, black women and their bodies have been experimented upon, stereotyped, judged, and discriminated against. Her photographic works, What my Mother Told Me, What my Grandmother Refused to Say, Sims, Objects, and her most recent series Teaching Myself Manners investigates her own journey into womanhood; referencing instances from childhood, stereotyped female ideology, historical perspectives of femininity, and how gender and culture have come to be defined.