A trait of toxic masculinity is how substance abuse are depicted in the media as “cool” and exciting. It is seen as social acceptable for adolescent boys, and even considered “masculine”. Toxic masculinity influences boys to be tough and suppress their emotions. That is where alcohol and drug use comes in. Scene 1: Dynasty is shown harvesting marijuana crops for her father who is the local gang leader. Harvesting and selling illegal drugs for money is viewed as a “cultural symbol of manliness” in the town. Dynasty’s father is feared even by his own daughter, as shown by her facial expression when handing him the marijuana. He simply gives her a small, dismissive, nod to which she immediately leaves. Her father is especially putting his …show more content…
Boy takes a gulp of the beer and Alamein faces straight ahead, symbolising how he feels awkward about Boy even sipping the beer. He then asks Boy about the taste and even though Boy’s face is one of discomfort, he agrees with his father, wanting to please him. Alamein then comments on Boy’s age and says ‘that’s pretty young for your first sip!’. This shows that he knows Boy is too young to drink beer but he let him anyways. Beer is represented as a manly drink that makes Boy more masculine and grown up, especially by taking his first sip of alcohol at such a young age. Later, Boy is shown at his dad’s “gang party” drinking out of his own bottle of beer. This represents how he has been heavily influenced by his dad’s pleasure with that first sip of beer so he starts to drink properly to be more masculine and be alike to his dad, even though he was obviously uncomfortable with the taste of the beer as shown by his facial expression while taking the first sip. Alamein is damaging Boy’s mental and physical development by introducing alcohol to him at eleven years …show more content…
He is trying his best here to appear masculine, cool and tough through abusing substances when his life isn’t going so great. He has realised that the memories and image he had of his dad are lies and so has resorted to substance misuse so he doesn’t have to feel his pain a misery. Suppressing emotion is a common social norm for men as they are seen to be weak and “sissy” or “girly” if they do show any sign of emotion. He’s harming himself by resorting to these dangerous substances and doesn’t understand that there are other ways to deal with his feelings then trying to be cool and numb the pain of realising his dad’s not who Boy thought he