Hypermasculinity is defined as the psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on: physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. In short, hypermasculinity is a behavioral stereotype placed upon men. Similar to other gender based stereotypes, hypermasculinity imposes a negative effect on the community due to the fact that men are pressured to live up to societal expectations that ultimately affect their partners and families.
Hypermasculinity is extremely prominent in communities of color; the root of this mentality can be traced back to the era of colonization. Black male slaves were sold based upon being the cream of the crop. Most slave owners sought for slaves that appeared to be strong in order to work on the plantations;slave auctioneer’s thus sold the stronger slaves for the best dollar. According to Affinity Magazine: black men who did not fulfill this presumption were raped, beaten or killed. These actions affected how black men were raised to act in a society that was -and still is- against them. Presently, men of color are expected to live up to a standard of machismo. Society expects men to be detached and fearless beings, because that is what makes them “stronger” than their female counterparts. However, these expectations often times can change the way men of color interact with authoritative figures along with how they approach each other and women. This ideology is plaguing our community. The notion that men of color are emotionless translates into a stereotype of being dangerous which places them into a mold of disparity. This mold puts them at higher risks of discipline throughout life. The macho- man mentality is what interrupts effective emotional connections for most men in adulthood because throughout their lives they have been told to “be a man”. Little boys are taught to “man up” when they cry. They are taught to repress emotions as a form of strength when in actuality the act creates emotional expressive issues for them later in life.
So what’s the next step to addressing this? How can we dismantle a mentality that dates back to slavery? A big first step is raising young boys into versatile men; expect emotional vulnerability and strength to be interchangeable! Work with your brothers on disassembling stereotypes of “manliness” put upon men of color. At this point, we have the knowledge to work against forms of systematic oppression, and it is up to US to act upon combating this issue together.
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