'We live in a patriarchy; one that rewards men that adhere to its tenets. So in truth, the only real value that 'manliness' holds is the social benefits afforded to men who subscribe to it.'
behind the images. In these photos, everything from the couple’s posture to their facial expressions is being scrutinized, with minute details, like whether or not they were smiling and the direction their crotch is facing, being taken as proof of some grand plot to bring down Black men. Inphoto of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, it’s noted that their relationship was definitely “not fine” at the time because she’s not smiling or leaning into him, and is sitting with her legs open.
Here’s the thing, emasculation isn’t real. It only exists as a tool to reinforce patriarchal violence. The term's origins go back to the 17th century Latin term for “depriving something of its male functions, virility or procreative power.” Essentially, “emasculation” means making someone less of a man. Okay, let’s take the term at its original definition.
And although this obsession with manliness cuts across cultures, Black people’s experience of it is unique. The “great emasculation conspiracy” that has long been pushed in the Black community is a product of both church culture and the long and brutal history of sexual violence as a tool of white supremacy. “Western culture’s objectification and sexualizing of Black bodies contributed to the sexual vulnerability of enslaved men and women,” writer Thomas Foster.
For young Black boys, they’re learning that they don’t have to show up as active parents because that’s “a woman’s job.” Then there’s the needless gendered rules on how boys should dress, groom themselves, speak to girls, treat other boys and even function as part of a family. This kind of thinking is also the faulty foundation upon which other forms of discrimination are firmly set. In the years since
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