Masculinity in American Society and Hip-Hop Essay

Have you ever wondered why all men act the same? In the reading “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code”, Michael Kimmel critics what it means to be a man and the “Guy Code” they are expected to follow. According to Kimmel, masculinity is a problematic social construct that invokes behaviors that men tend to follow unconsciously. The unconscious behaviors that men tend to follow is know as the “Guy Code” that is passed down to them when they were young. Kimmel informs the audience, mainly women about the negative effects inflicted upon men due to following the “Guy Code”. Kimmel uses pathos and logos very effectively to paint an image of why men act the way they do and how it hurts them.

Music and society have always been closely related. For years now music has been apart of people’s everyday lives all around the world. Having so many different genres out there, it makes it easy to be appealing to so many different ethnic backgrounds. However, one type of genre in particular has seemed to grab the attention of a younger generation. Rap music has undoubtedly had its utmost impact on African American youth, since many of the performers themselves are African American. An overtly masculine culture dominates rap music and creates gender stereotypes that become abundantly popular to the youthful audience. Three constant themes that are found within the rap culture are encouragement of violence, the misogynistic representation of women, an extreme hatred of homophobia. Each theme plays a detrimental role in the process of defining black masculinity as well as shaping the values, morals, and beliefs that its younger audience adopts after tuning into this “gangster lifestyle”.

The misogynistic treatment of women in commercialized rap has become a widespread phenomenon which as a result has become commonly accepted by majority of the individuals in society. Rappers, in general, nowadays use women in their videos in a way which is both derogatory and exploiting. Black men in today’s society, especially in the entertainment industry, do not see women as their equals; rather they objectify them as being nothing more than sex objects. People in the Hip Hop industry do not believe that sexism and misogyny is as big of a deal as racism, thus they push this issue to the side by simply ignoring it and learning to accept it. This misogynistic portrayal of women is ruining the image if Hip Hop as both an industry and a form of expressive art. However, instead of taking action against this atrocity, many women simply believe that the images of women and their portrayal in rap videos does not represent nor refer to them as an individual and the type of woman they truly are. By being silent these women are allowing themselves to be victimized by the men of not only the Hip Hop industry but also general society. By not having a say in this matter of the false classification and portrayal of women, they are voluntarily allowing men to do whatever they please to do so, in any given time and with any approach they feel is necessary. They do not

McLune also believes,“many hip-hop rappers are sexist and materialistic singers”(222), and not many rappers sing about equality and respect between the sexes. Even female rapper’s follow in the male rappers footsteps of disrespecting black women. Female rappers follow this path to keep from being “targeted, slandered, and ignored”(223). Female rappers who take a stance against the norm risk being called “bitch, a ho-or worse, a dyke.” McLune states that she wants the sexism to stop and until it does hip-hop will fail. According to McLune, Kevin Powell excuses sexism because of poverty. Experience has shown us that any man, rich or poor, can be sexist regarding women. By allowing the behavior to continue black women will always be the victim.

In the article “Bros before Hos: The Guy Code”, by Michael Kimmel he writes about many different standards and ideals that young men must live up to, to be accepted in today’s society. The article talks about genders, at different ages sixteen to twenty six and how it is directed towards anyone that wants to know more about genders and how it can relate to masculinity and men. It was also based off of a book that he had written in the late two- thousands. According to (Kimmel) young men must live and abide, by a set of rules known as the spectacular “Guy Code”. The “Guy Code” was created to help understand why young men feel and act the way they do, and how masculinity may be perceived in their cultures. The code has been instilled into many young men around the world by their peers, family, and media at the age of four, or maybe even when a child has developed somewhat of a understanding. Being taught how to be masculine at a very young age is important to teach your child, it helps them discover who they are as a person, and who they are supposed to be perceived as, and how to find their inner virility as a young male. Kimmel also uses exemplification to help explain how the “Guy Code” is a collection of attitudes, values, and many traits that are together to help compose what it really means to be a man. The code lets us know how men are not suppose to cry, and how they are not suppose to be or act like sissies. But how men must be very

There’s a powerful source brainwashing young minority women today, specifically the language expressed in Rap lyrics which is often embraced by the Hip Hop Culture recently. These young gems are being conditioned to value their worth centered around hollow, vain, and degrading measures. The lead directors of these measures are strong, empowered, talented men who come across as if they detest woman. They disclose and describe detail stories of lifestyles involving “model chicks” who degrade themselves for acceptance, money, and opportunity. Consequently, this behavior leaves impressions for young ladies to follow after; because most young ladies of minority tap into the hip hop culture as a guide for social behavior. Although, the Hip Hop culture allows a window into the challenges faced by the black community it has also been the lead contributor to the desensitization of exploitation towards women due to the negative messages and images portrayed in music lyrics and music videos today.

In Kimmel’s article, the purpose is to inform young men that the “Guy Code” is not the way to prove masculinity, and can be dangerous in doing so (Kimmel 483). Kimmel presents to his readers that society’s understanding of man-hood is foolish through various interviews with different guys (Kimmel 479). One interview Kimmel did was with Mike, a 20 year old at Wake Forest (Kimmel 479). Mike says, “My older brothers were always on my case, calling me a pussy if I didn’t want to play football or wrestle (par 10).” Through listening and understanding Mike's interview one could find it offensive the way his brothers were calling him a “pussy” just because he did not want to play football or wrestle, which

Two Paragraphs Due Tues. , Oct. 20 1) In “Bros Before Hos”, Kimmel Bly explains that masculinity is proven by showing you not effeminate, portraying aggressiveness and keeping quiet. All three of these show a correlation throughout the chapter, guys often get judged when they are not keeping up with the standards of being a man.

Misogyny is a tried and true American tradition from which hip hop derives its understanding of how men and women should behave. Critics argue that hip hop’s misogyny and promotion of traditional gender roles reflect mainstream American values. Feminists suggest that misogyny in hip hop culture is not a “black male thing”, but has its roots in a larger pattern of hostility toward women in American culture.

Secondly, “gender” is the key elements of cultural formation of hip-hop. When focusing on this aspect, there are obvious influences from African American hip-hop to Asian hip hop. The fashion of the black people, so-called street fashion presents the connotative bad image of black people, such as drag and violence. Therefore, it can be presumed that these fashion establishes the symbol of bad authority or “manliness” to Asian rapper. Therefore, in the most of the music video of Asian hip-hop, the rappers wear caps, oversize t-shirt, and gold accessories, like African American rappers do.

They are often young white men age 16 to 26 who are in the midst of development causing their “guy” mentality to become a prime target for the advertising industry (Kimmel 4). Those that fall into this age group are often college and high school students who are thrown into a world different than the one their parents live in. A world with hierarchies based on how much beer you can drink and who has the girlfriend with the highest sex appeal. This is something no one should be forced into, however, no one is sure how to prevent it. The phrase ‘boys will be boys’ has never been so fitting, but what does that have to do with being a good man? Kimmel does not give a definitive answer to what being a good man is; he instead alludes to the fact that we need to find a solution to the multi-facet issue that is “Guyland”.

Madison Mumbauer In today times , hip-hop music is growing becoming more vital and it’s unquestionable that it’s a force in popular culture. In the movie, Hip-Hop Beyond Beats & Rhymes the filmmaker states and makes it well known that he is a fan of hip-hop music. In the Hip-hop culture, he states that manhood is put into a box and if you don’t fit those ideal man stereotypes. Then people start calling them soft, faggot, pussy, and a chump which is wrong to demean the LGBT community and women by calling men that aren’t fitting to the culture.

Rap music is misogynist due to the negative attitude it has towards women. The use of vulgar and derogatory words has become everyday language. The word ‘bitch’, means female dog, but rappers use it when referring to women. In the song “loyal”, sang by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga, Lil Wayne says “why give a bitch your heart when she’d rather have your purse”, this suggests

To begin digesting how rap constructs black masculinity, one must consider outside factors that influence the rap culture. Black people have been exploited since the beginning of the U.S. with chattel slavery to Jim Crow laws. In present day America, this minority population’s culture is exploited in a subtle way through music, fashion, and vernacular. One author suggests that black identity exists only in a small space in mass media that limits accurate representation and caters to the

Michael Kimmel’s, Manhood in America; A Cultural History, traces masculinity over time, starting in colonial times to present day. Kimmel conducted his research by examining American cultural history through media representations