Masculinity In Think Like A Man

‘Male Sexuality’ can be defined as an inclusion of ‘sexual identity, sexual health, sexual expression and individual choice’ (first reference). In addition to these attributes, one would also define ‘male sexuality’ as the masculine traits that males acquire or inherit from different environments, attributes that are given to them from their sex (biological) alone, and ones that they achieve through their own norms and values. In film, and recent film in particular; male sexuality as different types of masculinity is presented to us in many different forms and ways, dependent on the narrative of the film. Men, unlike women, often shy away from their emotions in film; due to the nature of their sexuality and the environment they are in, thus

In the opening scene of the film, the opening song displays the rhetoric for the narrative of the film; ‘It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World’ by James Brown; this alone perpetuates and initiates the male dominated, patriarchal narrative of the film. Nonetheless, Zeke (Romany Malco) is the typical hegemonic and hypermasculine male; he encapsulates the identity of ‘the player’ and is also known as ‘Zeke the Freak’ by his peers for his promiscuous and open sex life, thus encouraging his hegemonic masculinity and ‘subordination of women’. He often brags about sleeping with women and his disregard for them, as he is always on to the next one; which can be a problem for him. When each character label is being presented to the viewer at the beginning, in the case of Zeke, he exhibits Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’. This theory, introduced the idea that women in film are more than not often ‘objects of the gaze’ – which inherently refers to women being seen as objects Schroder (1998) “to gaze implies more than to look at – it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze.”. This is due to the audience viewing characters from a

The two immediately do not share any common grounds and similarities as previously discussed. Brad purchases basketball tickets for the family including Dusty but he has deliberately purchased a seat that is away from his nuclear family. This does not portray any kind of homosocial or harmonious attitudes on Brad’s behalf and has been done to exclude Dusty, rather than make him feel welcome. However, there are occasions where homosociality can be seen and this is not through the direct relationship between Dusty and Brad, the main characters but through Dusty and Griff (Hannibal Buress) and somewhat between Brad and Leo Holt (Thomas Church). The male bond between Dusty and Brad become apparent in the final scene; the pair are able to put their difference aside and praise one another, whilst challenging bully to a dance off. This is a clear contrast in relation to Think Like a Man, as the two men transition into a friendship, opposed to the characters in Think Like a Man are already in a friendship