Although the films of the Blaxploitation era were popular among Black and White audiences, the films reified negative representations of Black culture and life. All of these images, whether aggressive, violent, animalistic, or emasculated, point to the dehumanization of Black men in society argued is not truly a representation of Black masculinity but rather the conditions of Black men in Western society. Overall, the portrayal of Black men in recent films represents the ‘‘new realism’’ of Black masculinity that is defined by rap music and hip hop culture that appeals to the new Black youth culture. Collectively, these films construct a Black masculinity that is defined by an urban aesthetic, nihilistic attitude, and aggressive posturing.” (Brown, …show more content…
Sho’Nuff helps to recognize that Blacks often times resort to violence, as he constantly tries to fight Leroy. Shaft shows that he is a sexual being when he easily confronts attractive women and talks to them in a promiscuous manor. Shaft is also very threateningly powerful and has no regard for anyone else even before he had resigned from the police department. Shaft cannot be controlled and because of his defiance and assertiveness, his masculinity is unchanging. Leroy Green’s obsession of adopting the Chinese culture displays the racial stereotypes of Chinese. This also shows that because Leroy does not possess the traits believed to be associated with masculinity, he suffers from an issue with cultural identity. Lastly, the Yi brothers represent both the racial stereotypes of Black men’s masculinity and the confusion of cultural identity. Ultimately, society does not accept those that choose to act differently from one’s own race. The racial inequality that occurs in the film proves that it can threaten the manhood of men and cause them to strive to be more dominant. When individuals choose to step outside of their cultures and perform as a different gender or race, as Leroy and the Yi brothers did, it leads to serious issues. Though many of these racial issues are intentionally included in the films to fabricate the movie, it can really emphasis