REACTIONS TO PRINT IMAGES OF BLACK MASCULINITY CAGED IN WHITENESS by SHELLIE DENISE WELSH Submitted to the School of Liberal Studies and Continuing Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Purchase College State University of New York May 2018 Instructor: Dr. Domenica DelPrete WELSH1 Table of Contents: Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..2 Purpose………………………………………………………………………………….2 Rationale...…………………………………………………………………………...…3 Research Questions …………………………………………………………………….5 Methodology………………………………………..……………………………………….….6 Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………7 (White) Hegemonic Masculinity vs. (Black) Hypermasculinity……………………….7 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..10 Future Research. ………………………………………………………………………11 Appendix A: Radically Soft Photos of Black Masculinity…………………………………….14 Reactions to Print Images of Black Masculinity Caged in Whiteness WELSH2 I. Introduction Studies (e.g., Cassidy & Stevenson, 2005; Coston & Kimmel, 2012) have reported on the suppression of Black people due to insincere depictions in mass media (i.e., television, advertisements, radio, and film), which also tend to over-generalize the whole group. Indeed, stereotypical depictions of Black people are more a norm that an anomaly in that they typically cross stereotanypical borders. Scholars (e.g., Luyt, 2012; Viljoen, 2012) have found that imagery in print advertisements over-exaggerate negative associations of Black men, while positive associations are limited. Negative depictions linked to criminality, negative domestic partnerships, gang relations, and other forms of violence are typically publicized. These distorted portrayals have caused media consumers, particularly whites, to develop general resentment towards Black men. Not only do these negative portrayals affect the way media consumers view Black men, but some Black men also begin to subconsciously emulate the type of characteristics in which they are often portrayed. In turn, as a maladaptive response, Black some men convert into their social construct, and thereby embrace a hyper-masculinity- a behavior defined as “the exhibition of stereotypic gendered displays of power and consequent suppression of signs of vulnerability” (Fegley, Harpalani, Seaton, & Spencer, 2004, p. 234). Purpose Given the widespread stereotyping and standardization of hyper-masculinity in Western advertisements, this study describes how print advertisements perpetuate images of Black masculinity and how hyper-masculinity, as a negative representation, has prompted young adult, Reactions to Print Images of Black Masculinity Caged in Whiteness WELSH3 inner-city Black men to display exaggerated versions of their physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. Overall, it will show how print advertisements of Black masculinity, from the 2000s to the present day, are framed and why some Black men are viewed as perpetrators of hypermasculinity. Rationale Hypermasculinity is a social construction deeply rooted in slavery when Black men were ridiculed by white slave owners who prioritized the strong over the weak. (Davis & Hunter, 1994). From social reform movements, during the civil rights era, to social standards that are upheld today, Black men are consistently depicted under hyper-masculine caricatures. Scholars (e.g., Davis, & Hunter, 1994; Fegley et al., 2004) have mentioned that Black men are incapable of displaying their true masculinities. Black men who display their masculinities are often misinterpreted as hypermasculine and are targeted for exhibiting the same traits as hypermasculine white men. Therefore, Black men are forced to suppress their own masculinity to refrain from possibly being associated or interpreted as hypermasculine simply because they are exhibiting their emotions. Hypermasculine portrayals of Black men in print advertisements contribute to the perception that Black men are hypermasculine, reaffirming the notion that it is due to their genetic makeup. This simplistic and stereotypical conceptualization ignores other important factors, such as their socioeconomic upbringing. Davis & Hunter (1994) explain how “hypermasculinity (i.e., hyper- aggressiveness, hypersexuality, excessive emphasis on the appearance of wealth, and the absence Reactions to Print Images of Black Masculinity Caged in Whiteness WELSH4 of personal accountability) as a dominant conception of manhood in poor inner-city communities, particularly among youth, is seen as a by-product of the pathology and despair of the ‘Black underclass’” (p.23).” Fegley et al. (2004) note that young adult, inner-city Black men use hypermasculinity as a coping response due to life stressors they often endure based on their socioeconomic status. Life stressors may include fear of sustained racialization in America and a perceived threat of violence in inner-city neighborhoods. “Socioeconomic status impact[s] the formation of hypermasculine attitudes among urban, low-resource, adolescent males in conjunction with available social supports across family and school settings… Whether it is actual physical spaces (neighborhoods or schools) or social structures (i.e., unemployment, racism, or culture), ecology matters in the lives of developing youth, and the impact of masculine norms, which as noted may be problematic in and of themselves, is exacerbated by ecological risks (Fegley et al., p. 230).” In turn, Black men are incapable of coping with their masculinities - which is often intrinsically confused for hypermasculinity. By explaining how Black masculinity is caged in whiteness, and thus misinterpreted as hypermasculinity, I hope to challenge the negative depictions of Black masculinity and provide an alternative interpretation that includes positive imagery of Black men. It should be noted that not all young, adult Black men have accepted the stereotyped depictions that print media has popularized. In fact, some Black men have resisted the hypermasculine stereotype by following social media movements like “#BlackBoyJoy, (Young, 2018)” pioneered by Chance the Rapper, and “#BlackMenSmiling. (Williams, 2016)” Resistance is defined as the ways “some men have to position themselves outside the hegemonic (hyper)masculinity in highly unequal, violent settings. (McMillian & Paul, 2011)” McMillian and Paul (2011) elaborate on the dissemination Reactions to Print Images of Black Masculinity Caged in Whiteness WELSH5 of hegemonic resistance between a Black family. Francisco, a father of two, lives in a lower middle-class neighborhood. While describing his diverging relationship to his father, Francisco’s father was a perpetratorof hypermasculinity, as he allowed “manhood [to] define their relationship” (McMillian & Paul p. 374). In contrast to his father, Francisco described that he would not discipline his children by engaging in violent tactics, rather, he adopted a “non- violent, masculine, and progressive identity. (McMillian et al., p. 375)” Following such movement, similar to Francisco, and thereby challenging the imagery of Black masculinity, will provide an alternative representation of Blackness to the one that is propagated in print advertisements. Research Questions Given the issue of hyper-masculinity as a negative media portrayal of young-adult, Black-men, this paper will address the following research questions: 1. How have print advertisements perpetuated images of Black masculinity since 2000? 2. Why are Black men viewed as perpetrators of hypermasculinity? The next sections of this paper will outline the approach that I took in gathering and collecting scholarly articles on Black masculinity. Section two of this paper will detail the methods that I used to gather articles and become more informed about how Black masculinity is framed in print media and what factors contribute to the perpetuation of Black hypermasculinity. A review of relevant literature about black masculinity will follow. The last section of this paper Reactions to Print Images of Black Masculinity Caged in Whiteness WELSH6 will recap the discussions and issues highlighted in this paper as well as propose suggestions for future research incorporating the perspectives of young, Black American men. II. Methodology The literature review is structured around the initial research questions: How have print advertisements perpetuated images of Black masculinity since 1990 and why are Black men viewed as perpetrators of hypermasculinity? It examines how the caricature of hypermasculinity comes from reincarnated images that depicted Black masculinity from post-colonial eras. The literature review then assess the dynamic between Black (hyper)masculinity and white hegemony. Assuming that white masculinity coincides with hegemony, it finds that socioeconomic factors and hyper-vulnerability contribute to Black hypermasculinity. Lastly, the literature review considers those who challenge hegemonic standards, deviating away from hypermasculinity. While constructing the literature review, scholarly sources that elaborated on hegemonic masculinity and hypermasculinity were examined. By examining these sources, I gained further insight of the topic and the dialogue that hypermasculinity has generated within (and outside) the walls of academia. This deeper understanding helped to dispel any rather than biased views I may have had prior to engaging in my own research. Within my research, I pulled redefined imagery of Black masculinity from an online archive, which is included in Appendix A. Camila