Black Male Stereotypes
The cast of
“Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” perpetuated black, male stereotypes. As written in
“Black & Single: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta is no help to the black
single”, “Common depictions or ideas of black men are that they are lazy, physically
aggressive, conceive many children out of wedlock with several different women,
neglect their children’s financial, emotional and spiritual needs, have an
uncontrollable sex drive, are “players” and have spent time in jail.”
The black,
male cast members provide examples of men having spent time in jail and being
physically aggressive. Both Benzino and Lil’ Scrappy had been arrested on
possession of marijuana, in 2010 and 2008 respectively. Lil’ Scrappy also
mentioned being on probation before going to talk to Stevie J. Nevertheless,
Lil’ Scrappy gets in a physical altercation with Stevie J to defend his
girlfriend and baby mama, Erica Dixon. This makes it seem that black men have
aggressive impulses that are constantly getting them into trouble.
In Getting Off On Feminism, Jason Schultz
wrote, “Take the notion of ‘breeding’. Many cultures still assume that the male
desire to breed and procreate is the primary purpose of sexuality. This idea,
based on the outdated notions of Darwinism and evolutionary prophecy, forces us
to think of heterosexual men as having a single purpose- ejaculating inside a
fertile woman” (8). According to Schultz, society label men as breeders that
sleep with as many women as they possibly can. Though Schultz does not mention
race in his analysis, he stresses that if feminism is ever going to lead to
equality that this inaccurate view of men as breeders has to be eliminated. In Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta, especially
through Stevie J and Lil’ Scrappy, this inaccurate idea of men as breeders
seems to be reinforced.
This is
seen in “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” through men having children out of wedlock.
Both Stevie J and Lil’ Scrappy have children out of wedlock and have neglected
their needs in their own way. While Lil’ Scrappy tried to get out of paying
child support for his daughter, Stevie J is almost never shown with his
daughter unless he is trying to gain forgiveness for his latest indiscretion
from Mimi. Stevie J also practically told Joseline to get an abortion when he
got her pregnant. He focused on his own selfish desire to avoid conflict than
on the life of his unborn child and the emotions of Joseline.
Stevie J
and Lil’ Scrappy also provide examples of having multiple sexual partners.
Stevie J is in a three-way relationship with Mimi and Joseline while still
having sex with other women on top of that. Stevie J has this superior attitude
toward his girlfriends that show that he believes that he made them successful
and therefore should be free to do whatever he wants. Lil’ Scrappy was known to
have cheated on his girlfriend, Erica with the artist, Diamond. During the
season, Lil’ Scrappy is also seen deceiving and dragging along both Erica and
his “friend”, Shay. Through Lil’Scrappy
tries to maintain the airs of not having done anything wrong, he can not seem
to match his monogamy-oriented words with his actions.
Though Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta and other
reality shows usually perpetuate these stereotypes, there are a few shows that actually contain more positive and interesting
portrayals of masculinity. Interesting depictions of masculinity were shown in Toya: A Family Affair, Ice Loves Coco, and
Iyanla Fix My Life. In Toya: A Family Affair, Memphitz is shown
on the show as not having any of the stereotypical faults. Not only does he not
have children, but also is understanding and accepts Reginae who is Toya’s
daughter from a past relationship. Memphitz is also shown being sensitive and
romantic in his relationship with Toya. On his wedding, he even shed tears of
happiness as he watched Toya walk toward him down the aisle.
Stlamerican.com. St. Louis
American, 12 July 2012. Web. 28 March 2013.
Clip about Memphitz:
Clip of Wedding:
In Ice Loves Coco, Ice is shown going through his daily routines and
life with his wife, Coco. You get to see him as a serious professional as he
heads to work each day. However, you also get to see his more loving side
throughout the show with his idea of renewing their wedding vows. I also am
interested in the fact that Ice has had two children from past relationships
that are currently grown adults. Ice is now happily married and planning on
having children with his wife. I believe that Ice is strangely good evidence
against the idea of men as breeders. His children were born with a high school girlfriend
and after eight years of another relationship sixteen years after his first
child. In the show, Ice is shown as a monogamous guy who sees no woman other
than his wife.
Clip about wanting to conceive a baby
In the
episode of Iyanla Fix My Life about
DMX, Iyanla attempted unsuccessfully to repair the relationship between drug
addict, DMX and his son, Xavier. Xavier demonstrates a unique type of
masculinity where he grew in maturity and strength through his meeting with his
father and facing his past, painful experiences. Though DMX refused to quit his
substance abuse in order to fix their relationship, Xavier still benefitted
through meeting with his father. Xavier was not only able to accept not having
a relationship with his father, but also was able to see that his father was
sick and begin forgiving him. Iyanla helped him understand and express his
emotions while his wounds began to heal. Xavier’s gained strength and
masculinity through vulnerability showed that men will only be at peace once they
can freely express their emotions along with women.
Clips of the episode:
Schultz,
Jason. “Getting Off on Feminism.” To Be Real. 107-206. New
York: Anchor Books, 1995. Web.
Silerio,
Sharee. “Black & Single: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta is no help to the
black single.”
"Smoke
and Mirrors". Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta. 9:10-9:25. VH1, 2011.
Web.
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