Essay On Black Masculinity

XXXXXXXXX Toughness is associated with the words Black masculinity. When dissecting the words separately you see that masculinity is defined as possession of the qualities traditionally associated with men. Men are traditionally associated head of households, the provider, and displays tough love. Then one of the definitions of black is of the very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white. In the definition you see the word dark, which is associated with unhappiness, tragedy and evil. Once the words are combines black masculinity essentially means black men are evil or mean. Black masculinity is actually the struggle between being socially accepted, while try to maintain a sense of self.
In the article, What Does Black Masculinity Look Like?, Crunk Feminist Collective has a picture of Tupac who displays a masculine figure by showing his jewelry and tattoos. Through Tupac’s outer image, it demanded respect, and power. His appearance asserted his dominance which is Hip Hop was about. In the image he has a tattoo that said “Thug Life,” which portrayed him a tough. Tupac was not a gang member but because he was associated with the likes of Suge Knight, many people categorized him as a gang member, which is typically associated with black males. Gangs are symbolized as violence, which helps play into what Hip Hop persona. Although Tupac’s image was not exactly what he represented, it was accepted socially because Tupac was a rapper, and rappers had to be hyper masculine. It was only Tupac’s image that allowed him to be accepted into Hip Hop because Hip Pop was violence Tupac’s image was not exactly what he represented through his art of music. Although he was a Hip Pop musician, he used his platform to inform people on the truths of the Americas. He did it in a very knowledgeable which showed him as