Black Men Masculinity Essay

The culture of aggression and violence surrounding black men is a consequence of a psychological and sociological term known as hypermasculinity; associated with extremely negative connotations and contributions to harmful and damaging stereotypes about black men. “The hypermasculine image of the black male as a violent and aggressive being has been perpetuated throughout history and continues to be reinforced in contemporary society”(Wadley 60). Black men have adapted behaviors and attitudes, like the need to be aggressive, tough, and unemotional which are reinforced by societal pressures and expectations. These expectations stem from the legacy of slavery because of black men's need to assert masculinity in the face of oppression. The black

During slavery, black men were literally and figuratively stripped of their masculinity and completely emasculated in front of their families. They were subject to innumerable amounts of torture, consisting of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. While black men were enduring the abuse, they weren’t able to protect their families. To combat the issues they were facing, black men had to assert their masculinity in the face of oppression; ultimately resulting in the hypermasculinity we see today. The torture black men went through during slavery resulted in traits like aggression, dominance, and rejection of femininity in order to give their families some sort of impression of protection and safety. The necessary survival strategies lead to serious consequences in the modern day; like violence and discrimination towards women and members of the LQBTQ+ group. A renowned professor at Vanderbilt reinforces this stating, “the legacy of hypermasculinity in the black community has contributed to a culture of violence, misogyny, and homophobia that continues to plague men and women today” (Ikard

Black men need to feel dominant and in control leads to unhealthy and toxic relationships. This leads to not only manipulation but gaslighting and abuse in said relationships, whether they are hetero or homosexual relationships. The long-term problems that come with this are not being able to communicate with your partners and being unable to emotionally connect with children involved in the relationship. Hypermasculinity affects relationships and also leads to the pressure of being a breadwinner and not allowing your spouse to share responsibilities. From this, we see things like single mothers because partners are unable to connect with their spouses. This leads to numerous problems for children involved in these relationships because they don’t know how to foster healthy