Boys Do Cry: Hyper Masculinity In The African American Community

From the moment African American men are born a target is placed on their back and that target programs them to behave in a certain fashion. They are told from a young age to not show emotion, affection, and to “get over it, ” because in the African American community a young black male expressing himself is a sign of weakness or even being gay. Black men are held to a standard of being immensely masculine (also known as hyper masculinity), so much so that they can’t even be their true selves without being ridiculed about their sexual orientation or appearance, while men of other races are considered carefree for doing exactly that. Hyper masculinity in the African American community is detrimental because it creates unrealistic expectations for young men while generating unstable men who are victim to mental health issues and pushes men to behave in a violent and aggressive manner.

Unrealistic expectations in the African American community generates low self- esteem and body dysmorphia in black men. The media often bombards society with negative statistics about black men varying from incarceration to school dropouts, but statistics show that “there are 59% more men in postsecondary education than jail”. African American men live in a society where white men are considered the ideal man. This causes black men to suffer with their identity because the image of them is not held up to a high standard unless they are an athlete or a sex symbol. The problem with that concept is that not every black man falls into those categories. The black community itself holds men with superior bodies to a higher standard than men who don’t have that body type. This leads to body dysmorphia, which is a mental disorder in which one obsesses over one or more perceived flaws or defects in one’s appearance.

Body dysmorphia can cause a person to seek approval from peers and become a recluse. The complication with body dysmorphia is that while there may be nothing wrong with a man’s appearance society manages to lead him to believe that there is. Mental health is an important attribute in someone’s overall health, but it does not get as much attention in the African American community. Statistics show that African Americans are 20% more likely to suffer from a debilitating mental health condition than their white counterparts and they often suffer in silence. The topic of depression is often deemed taboo despite suicide being the third leading cause of death for African-American males ages 15 to 24. A plight like mental health can’t be resolved if it is not addressed. In the black community being told to “pray it away” is said frequently because older generations are accustomed to relying on faith to deal with hardships, so in turn they think that faith is the only resolution. When a black man is told to “man up” or to “tough it out” it shuts down the opportunity to get help because he now feels ashamed. Studies show that 18. 6% of African Americans report living with a mental health condition but only 16. 9% report using mental health treatment. Since black men often grow up in households where masculinity is emphasized men are not encouraged to discuss the hardships they’re experiencing, which then causes mental health issues to go unnoticed.

A prime example of the effects of hyper masculinity in the African American Community is behaving aggressively and violently. Violence and aggression are looked at in a “boys will be boys” manner, but in the African American community violence is used on numerous occasions to gain respect from peers. For example, in the genre of gangster rap many rappers sometimes brag about exhibiting their desire for violence and exaggerate imagined or actual deaths of a competitor while rhyming about their strength and invincibility. Violent and aggressive behavior also leads to abusive relationships and since hyper masculinity causes men to behave in a way where they can’t express their feelings freely, pent up anger can be a result. That pent-up anger can result in lashing out and experiencing mood swings because dealing with emotions was never taught. While men of all ethnicities struggle with hyper masculinity, African American men are subject to a different level of judgment from their own community. They are susceptible to being mocked for showing emotion, being vulnerable, and exhibiting normal behavior while men of other races are praised for being able to show those characteristics.

Hyper masculinity in the African American community hinders the growth of emotional intelligence in the community. Learning to deal with hardships in a healthy manner contributes to becoming a well-rounded individual. Being self-aware and showing empathy towards others are vital in the development of a human being. Hyper-masculinity is a construct that is normalized in the African American community, but the effects of it continue to get swept under the rug.