Hypermasculinity

Examples of Hypermasculinity in Film

Clint Eastwood's character in the films The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and A Fist Full of Dollars (1964) was a strong, silent man who exhibited no emotion as he dispatches his enemies. In addition, the films depicted an extremely feminine or hyperfeminine female lead character who supported the Eastwood characters. This is referred to as encouraging hypermasculinity through women who prefer strong, silent, emotionless men.

In the early 1970s, martial arts films starring the Asian American actor Bruce Lee became popular within the United States. Lee's characters often demonstrated a sense of emotion only during fight scenes. The animalistic sounds and his going berserk on anyone who exacted a blow that drew blood are examples of hypermasculinity.

D. W. Griffith's 1915 film The Birth of a Nation was one the first of its genre to depict both Black and White male characters in a hypermasculine context. The theme was based on Thomas Dixon's novel The Clansman in which the post-Civil War remnants of Southern leaders invoked the spirits of their ancestry, the “clansmen” of old Scotland. The film depicted Black males as sexually aggressive and criminal. Collectively these images were presented as the Black male rapist and Black politicians who committed larceny against the government. In contrast, the “Invisible Empire” of the Ku Klux Klan was created to combat the breakdown of law and order to which Black male criminality contributed, to restore the chastity of Southern womanhood, and to save the South from tyranny. The Klansman, dressed in White with his face covered so as to not display any emotions, is depicted as the hero.

Historically, overexaggerated male behavior was often considered countercultural and primarily applied to the prowess of African American males. Examples of such characteristics in Hollywood films are evident in the 1970s blaxploitation era of the Shaft and Superfly film series.

Hypermasculinity and Newer Forms of Communication

Today socialization occurs on a broader scale via the media with assistance of rapid technological advancements of cell phones, PDA (personal digital assistant) devices, Internet access, and cable satellite television. Such sources provide unfiltered exposure to images of hypermasculinity. Although some researchers hold that socialization is the primary contributor toward the development of hypermasculinity, these media images may also contribute to the emergence of hypermasculine traits. Thus, the fact that African Americans view television more than any other racial groups may be significant in understanding the origins of hypermasculinity among Blacks.

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